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Michael Smith Restaurant
Category: Restaurants American (New) American (New) [Edit]
1900 Main StKansas City, MO 64108
Neighborhoods: Crossroads, Greater Downtown
(816) 842-2202
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Upscale
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
61 reviews for Michael Smith Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Braised Rabbit - of course had to try it and it did not..."
(in 8 reviews)
"My wife had the 8-hour pork roast, as tender as could be..."
(in 3 reviews)
"extra virgin won us over from the get-go."
(in 9 reviews)
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61 reviews in English
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Review from Stephen H.
Overland Park, KS
1/27/2012
Last night a group of 7 of us had a chance to eat here, and in the private room in the back known as the "Wine Room" (for the racks of wine on the walls...no mystery there!). It is a significantly different experience from the bright freshness of the main dining area...but if you want to have a more intimate "dinner party" atmosphere, and your group is 8 or smaller, you can request this room at no additional charge when you go. As a fun aside, it has a large window that looks into an adjoining large table at Extra Virgin.
While the regular menu was extremely tempting, I only slightly gave in by ordering 2 of the Nantucket bay scallop ceviche a la carte for everyone. The rest all came from the Restaurant Week menu. Butternut squash ravioli, followed by whitefish on some lovely vegetables finished with the squash puree, and ended with a gingerbread sponge cake. It some ways, I felt like it was harvest time, but it works well for winter too :-)
My companions mostly picked the 8-hour pork, which looked and smelled amazing. Our servers were attentive and didn't forget about us despite us being in a room essentially isolated from the rest of the Restaurant. Am looking forward to returning and taking in a quiet evening by the window. -
Review from Kay L.
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
We had a nice dinner at Michael Smith's for Restaurant Week last night, nothing awful, but it didn't really wow me either. I'm dithering between three and four stars, to be honest. Damn you Yelp for not giving us a half-star option! LOL
I was part of the group of seven seated in the Wine Room (see Stephen H's review) which was a rather eclectic crowd -- some Yelpers, some long-lost cousins, some models. Just your average dinner party, in other words. The Wine Room has a wonderful private-party vibe that I really enjoyed. The main room is chic & stylish as well, but a bit noisy on this particular evening, so I was glad that we wouldn't have to conduct conversation at a shout.
Sadly, the food wasn't quite up to the same standard. Everything was presented beautifully, but fell a bit short. My Ginger Royale cocktail (delicious) was served in a sticky flute -- I wanted to wash my hands every time I touched the stem. Soup, a shrimp bisque, was strangely thin and bland. Everyone else raved about their pork, but mine was three-quarters fat, so I only got about four bites of meat. For the finale, a lemon meringue tartlette -- which went past "refreshingly tart" right into "unpleasantly sour."
The rest of the group seemed to enjoy the meal a lot more than I did, so maybe I was just having an unlucky night -- the one person who gets the tough cut when everybody else gets prime. Yup, that's me. I'll give Michael Smith's another shot to see if someone else draws that straw next time. -
Review from Cathy C.
Kansas City, MO
1/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
Eight-hour pork roast was worth the wait! I had lunch here a long time ago and had a good meal, but was disappointed that it wasn't on the menu. So when I saw it on Michael's Restaurant Week menu, I was THERE! Moist, fall-apart tender but somehow he gets this wonderful crispy crust on it! It sits on a pool of risotto, topped with a spicy jicama (I think) slaw. I loved it! My daughter had scallops-3 big tender ones. We rounded out the 3-course meal with velvety cauliflower-fennel soup and shared our desserts-lemon merengue pie with cranberry sorbet and gingerbread spongecake with chocolate ganache. I could have eaten a gallon of the sorbet, and the combination of ginger and chocolate made me think it was Christmas again-delightful! The wine list is a Wine Spectator award winner, and I would have loved to have his bottle of 1990 Ch. Latour, but settled on a glass of Rhone instead. It was just fine with the pork roast.
Service was competent, friendly but unobtrusive. The sleek interior is a bit tight, but conversation was easy, even as the place filled up on Yo Yo Ma night at the Symphony (that's another review-OMG!). The kitchen kept up with the growing crowd well, without making us feel hurried.
On the night of a very special musical experience, we had a very special dinner as well. -
Review from AJ G.
Overland Park, KS
1/24/2012
Kansas City Restaurant Week - Michael Smith
After our, shall we say, very unusual experience at Justus Drugstore, we approached our third reservation for Kansas City restaurant week, at Michael Smith, with a little trepidation.
Not to worry. We were greeted warmly and seated promptly, although the fashionable room was full: already a sign of good management. The room is small, but with comfortable dining furniture, adequate space between tables, and very nice flatware. The room is decorated with tasteful abstract art, and, in the center of the rear wall, a framed 8 X 10 photo of the chef, Michael Smith, with Julia Child. His relationship to her is not specified, but certainly is effective in implying a good pedigree. The full room had a happy buzz, but not so loud that conversation is difficult.
This restaurant handled the prix-fixe menu in what seems to me the ideal way: you are presented with the regular menu, in case your preference runs in a different direction, as well as a nicely printed menu for restaurant week, with three choices for each course.
Our party of three selected two of the three available first courses: a mixed greens salad, and butternut squash ravioli. The salad was served with a home-made flatbread, fresh, nicely presented, fairly unremarkable. The ravioli were served piping hot in a covered dish, with a wonderful broth and large flakes of parmesan. We devoured them.
For the main dish, we all opted for the pan-roasted campo lindo chicken, which came as a breast accompanied by a large homemade potato pierogie, and a tasty brown sauce. It was garnished with sautéed almonds and chestnuts: can't remember when I was last served a chestnut! Creative, interesting, and very enjoyable.
We sampled the three desserts offered. Lemon meringue "pie" received a modern treatment, as it came as a small rectangle of lemon custard on a crust, topped with little meringue chips. These were like tiny meringue cookies, shaped like large chocolate chips. Entertaining to the eye and the palate. It was served with a scoop of cranberry sorbet, which was less intensely flavored than I had expected. The second was a little chocolate pecan tart, which was focused more on chocolate than pecan; very nice. It was served with a very creamy and intense tablespoon of chocolate espresso ice cream, and, for some reason, a thimble-sized cylinder of moist chocolate cake. Last was a spicy gingerbread sponge cake, which was paired with a bite of clove toffee; great complementary and creative flavors.
Service was pleasant and efficient. In spite of a busy night, the staff appeared relaxed and welcoming. Water glasses were promptly refilled, as was the bread basket.
All in all, a first class dining experience, at a great price, supporting a great cause. Kudos to Michael Smith for this effort. -
Review from Alka J.
Manhattan, NY
I'm picky and I don't eat BBQ however I enjoy good food. Plant me in Kansas City and that can be challenging. Michael Smith is probably one of the best restaurants in Kansas City, or at least in the downtown area. I've been here a couple times and have left satisfied and happy.
To start we had the Fresh Fig salad and Braised Rabbit. The salad was fresh and combined the right ingredients. This was my first time eating rabbit so I was a little skeptical but it was prepared fantastically! It was tender and warm and the parmesan cheese complimented it quite nicely.
For my main I got the scallops. There were decently seasoned but come with a green sauce that I wasn't a fan of. The chicken lindo was also good, but a tad dry.
For dessert, they had seasonal selections including a gingerbread cake. The cake lacked flavor and the hot chocolate ice cream tasted more like cold, thick coffee. Fig Empendas seemed daring but they also lacked in taste. The lemon tart was good - a nice way to clean the pallet.
Both times I've been have been on a Wednesday where any wine bottle under $100 is half off - what a steal!
Overall the service is great, the wine list is extensive, and the food is some of the best I'e had in KC. -
Review from Ln S.
Centropolis, KS
12/14/2011
Consistently the best food in town since it opened.
I was so sad when he left Forty Sardines but he has found a great niche in The Crossroads District and it is worth every minute of our hour long drive to get there.
Last time we were there, they had just changed their menu and we tried their Squab after watching the judges on Top Chef rave about the little bird. I know now why they rave--it was delicious.
Waitstaff is always friendly, fun and helpful.
The hardest decision is whether to turn left or right when you enter--his Extra Virgin on the right side of the building is always great also.
I love to take friends here who haven't tried it yet because it is always a home run. -
Review from Jill H.
Kansas City, MO
10/22/2011
This place has it all wrong for an expensive, high-end restaurant. Our waiter was cold and for $25 to $35 a plate, the food was ehhh- by far not spectacular and not worth the money. I ordered the most expensive item on the menu and was horribly disappointed. The meat was so tough, I needed a saw to cut it.
This is coming from a foodie that travels often and lived in Las Vegas for 10 years taking clients and eating at very high end restaurants on a regular basis - the type where there are two waiters at your table and they treat each paying customer like a King and Queen.
I agree with the many negative reviews here on Yelp and with the many who bought the Groupon to give it a whirl and were disappointed. Too bad, such a good opportunity to get repeat clientele and they obviously blew it time and time again.
If you are a stuffy, wealthy KC resident that enjoys throwing your money away-by all means, eat here repeatedly. If you are hard-working and want to enjoy a good meal, pleasant atmosphere, and impress the wife or a date-avoid this place like the plague! I can give you ten other local restaurants in KC that are five stars and half the price!
I don't see this place in business, a year from now? -
Review from Matt S.
Kansas City, MO
10/12/2011
We recently moved to Kansas City and have had a good time trying all of the dining options. We were excited to try Michael Smith based on things we heard and his James Beard awards. We headed there Tuesday night, October 11th, with the intent of ordering a couple of bottles of wine, exploring the menu, and treating ourselves to dessert. it didn't happen that way.
Hostesses were not welcoming and too rushed to even say, "enjoy your meal." The service was lousy. Our server was Tyler who showed up at our table requesting our drink order. We placed an order for a bottle of wine and he brought a different bottle saying "we were out of what you ordered but this is the same grapes and the same price."
He then asked us to order. I had some questions and asked for his recommendation which was greeted with a less than interested and non-informative answer. When I asked about the Whitefish dish his response was "mild." That's it. So we placed our orders based on our own guesses and were happy for the most part. The food was decent.
We finished our dinner and sat for 15 minutes at a table with an empty wine bottle, two empty wine glasses, two empty water glasses, an empty bread basket, and two dirty plates. At this point we decided to forgo the other bottle of wine and dessert. Our table was cleared and we asked for the check. When he took my credit card away, a hostess wandered over, removed the empty bottle of wine and asked us if we would like more wine. A little to little and way too late.
The atmosphere was congested and bland. There was no music for the first half of the 45 minutes we were there. We were at a corner table by the kitchen which fit the attitude of being ignored by the staff. The couple that was seated next to us at the same time we were seated still didn't have their entree when we left...but they had two empty wine glasses. Poor things had to endure the experience longer than we did.
There was one shiny spot in the evening. When we left we were going to go across to Extra Virgin for dessert and wine. We decided we didn't want to give any more money to Michael Smith so we walked around the corner and came upon The Reiger Hotel and Grille. What a find! The Hostess, wait staff, and chef were the friendliest and most accommodating in town. We enjoyed spending money here and the desserts and wine were yummy. We are going back on Saturday night and I just scheduled a dinner in a couple of weeks when out-of-town friends come to town.
I would say avoid Michael Smith Restaurant and spend your money where it is worth it. There are so many great places we are stumbling upon in Kansas City. -
Review from Chris O.
Pasadena, CA
10/27/2011
I have dined here several times for dinner and I think it is the best restaurant in Kansas City. It is unusual that you find restaurants that could thrive in other major metropolitan areas, and this is one of them.
My favorite is the tasting menus. Each course is cooked and seasoned well, nicely plated, and the flavors are great. The rabbit is super, the pork is outstanding, and the seafood is high quality.
I have only experienced good service at Michael Smith's. My favorite server is Andie. She is really knowledgeable about food, enjoys her job, and takes pride in great service. -
Review from Paul E.
Overland Park, KS
Updated - 1/3/2012
Once again ... over the top experience at Michael Smith! One of our guests for dinner prefers her meat shall we say ... Done! While most prefer the rarer preparation, Chef Smith went the extra step of fileting her filet and preparing each slice to her liking. This on New Years Eve no less ... Bravo! The wines were the perfect companions to each course, with the desert wine being the hit of the evening. Service as usual was impeccable.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/14/2010
Fabulous fine dining in the Crossroads district. The best seafood since we left New York and an… Read more »
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Review from Jansen F.
Lake Waukomis, MO
10/14/2011
Interesting to see the other reviews that all mention purchasing a Groupon to try Michael Smith and then being ambivalent about the meal. I thought the purpose of offering Groupons was to get new patrons into your establishment, wow them, and then get them to return and happily hand you fist fulls of money because you deserved it with your spectacular food and service?!
I found the service cold but efficient. As far as the food: We ordered the soft Spanish tacos as an appetizer. They were not nearly as tasty as they sounded. Pretty forgettable really. Then they brought us beautiful looking rolls that were cold and tough. They weren't attempting to heat them but I think they would have tasted better warm. I had the beet salad and my companion a mixed green salad. Both were ok but each had an excessive amount of oil which seemed odd. I had a stuffed ravioli that was doughy and tough- icky. My husband had the braised rabbit which was the highlight of the meal- tender and served with amazing gnocchi.
If not for the rabbit, I would have given this meal 2 stars. But the rabbit isn't enough to get me excited to go back, not when there are so many more memorable dining experiences available in KC. -
Review from Bethanie W.
Kansas City, MO
10/12/2011
After reading the reviews I was nervous about my reservation at Michael Smith. I had a Groupon so it wasn't going to be a total loss if all went downhill, though.
I went on a Tuesday with my wife and the food was great and our server, Andie, was awesome. She was friendly, upbeat, and helpful with the menu and and wine.
I had the Whitefish and it was delicious. Cooked perfectly and the potatoes and onion that accompanied it were just as wonderful. My wife has the scallops and they were cold, which was odd because we were one of five tables in the restaurant at the time. We finished the meal with the hazelnut cake and it definitely help end the night with a bang - so good!
The portions were very small, but that was expected as the up-scale restaurants seem to have smaller portions and my waistline appreciates this. :)
My only tip would be to call in your reservations as the OpenTable always says they only have availability at 5 or 9, which obviously was not the case from what I saw. So I am unsure if they just don't utilize the OpenTable or if this method gets people in on the slow times. -
Review from Nick K.
Green Bay, WI
12/9/2011
One of my favorite resteraunts of all time. Amazing food, good atmosphere, decent wine and honestly a bargain for what you get. The portions are a bit small but the food is fantastic and I would rather have quality over quantity any day. Some people complain that this place is hit or miss but for going for the first time, I thought it was amazing. Definitely get the sweetbreads and the lamb (if they have them) , they are absolutely amazing. Again this place is great and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the downtown area who's up for paying a little bit more for quality food.
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Review from Rob M.
9/24/2011
Tonight was the first concert on our subscription at the new Kauffman Center and we felt like treating ourselves to a good dinner before the performance. I'd scored a Groupon sometime this summer. Making reservations online was a snap -- there were no problems getting the date and time we wanted.
This evening we arrived about half-an-hour late, as we got stuck in a traffic jam on Hwy 69 in JoCo, which has been under construction for what seems like forever! Fortunately, they hadn't given our table away and we were seated immediately! There must have been a lot of other people going to the Kauffman who were dining there -- the place was full and most patrons were VERY dressed up!
We went ahead and ordered, explaining to our server that we were going to the symphony and had run late because of traffic. He said he'd let the kitchen know so we could get to the performance on time.
My partner ordered the roast Campo Lindo chicken dish and I ordered the goose breast. We both ordered the green salad with ripe figs. I asked for a glass of the Marques de Cáceres and my partner ordered a rosé.
The salads arrived promptly and were a tasty combination of arugula, candied walnuts and ripe figs. I didn't try my partner's chicken dish. It looked a bit small to me, but she said it was delicious and seemed very satisfied with it. My goose was excellent -- numerous slices, nicely pink in the middle, served atop a bed of spinach with a melange of julienned vegetables on top of it and more of the figs, this time roasted a bit. (I guess figs must be in season!)
Service was careful and attentive, and we both were pleased with our meals. There were some tempting desserts on the menu, but we decided to pass on them because we didn't want to be late for the concert.
For the two of us the total came to about $85. The Groupon was for $60, so it actually went a long way -- farther than I expected! Of course, we skipped dessert and coffee. But all in all we enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, and the service, and felt that the prices were reasonable for a restaurant of this quality. We'll be back, especially because it's close to the Kauffman so it's perfect for a pre-performance dinner! -
Review from Paul S.
Kansas City, MO
12/16/2011
The only reason I didn't give it one star, is because of the other two people I was with...
About Me: Foodie who has flown more than 4 million miles on American, Been in 58 countries. (and I'm a big guy that can appreciated everything from Quanity to Quality)
The Food:
Had the Califlower Soup. I love Califlower. If the goal here was to create an exceptionally light creamy dish that had the taste of the Califlower then success. Recipie: Boil Cailflower, drain, use cream and an immersion blender. Add touch of salt and seasonings, serve in hot bowl with scallions on top. I was underwhelmed. This could have been amazing and it just wasn't 3/5 rating
Dinner was WhiteFish from the Great Lakes. I'm thinking Walleye, I ask the waiter to tell me about the dish and he said "mild"... That doesn't describe much to me, but I love fish so I went for it. I would describe this as an extremely fishy smelling fish, that was so inedible that my 3 dogs didn't touch it when I brought it home (And they eat tuna fish from a can to left over Sushi... so I know they eat fish). Badly cooked, and just plain "off" (By the way, if you serve fish with the skin on, the skin better be crispy... and it wasn't.) 0/5 rating
My wife ordered the same soup, had same opinion. She also ordered the chicken dish, which was exceptionally dry and overcooked. (The Dogs did eat that happily) 1/5 rating
Our other two guests had the rabbit app and loved it, and they ordered the 8 hour beef and said it was exceptional. (Hence my 2 of 5 stars) The Waiter did say that both those items were the only two things that have been on the menu for 4.5 years... So I'd expect them to be good.
Side:
I did also order the risotto, which was 4/5 good. Not perfect, but good.
Service:
In a word: Crappy. Our waiter didn't know the soup of the day, and really couldn't describe any details on the food, menu items, what the dessert of the day was, and didn't provide any guidance. He Complained he was cold. Water glasses and Wine glasses went empty (Hello: No wine left in glass offer another bottle to the table! Can you say missed profit opportunity?)
For a high end restaraunt, the service doesn't get even 1 of 5 stars for me.
There was no hostess to seat us (See comment below) so I called our friends on their cell phones and weaved into the restaraunt to find them on our own.
Oddly:
Michael Smith was greating guests as we arrived at the door and sending them down stairs. I'm assuming this was a private party? He looked at my wife and I, said nothing, and went back to greeting others and sending them down stairs... Mike -- If you have a personally known party, and see guests you don't know, it is pretty rude not to say something even akin to "Welcome to Michael Smith's we'll be right with you" or anything...
On the Plus Side:
The waiter did remove the whitefish from the bill without us asking. Mike: If you read these, that is a massive mistake. Instead of taking it off the bill, it would be substancially better to say "I'm sorry it wasn't to your liking, here is a gift card worth more than the entree, please give us another chance" That would almost guarantee I would return and give you another try and possibly a better review. But alas, I'm unlikely to return.
Starwood bought the near by Hyatt and took ownership on 11/30/2011. They closed the two high end restaraunts in there... While I was never a huge fan of either the Skies or the Peppercorn Duck Club, I would have preferred the service and food there over Michael Smiths. -
Review from Joe C.
Kansas City, MO
11/5/2011
I had been looking forward to trying Michael Smith's for a very long time, along the way hearing great to ok reviews. My experience fell very short of good. The service was very disappointing and the food was ok, not exceptional. I don't mind the price point if I am receiving my moneys worth, and I just never felt it was justified. I'm chalking this up to one bad experience and want to try them again before I write them off. In these hard economic times and being located in the midwest, please please provide courteous, professional and friendly service, please.
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Review from Stacy L.
7/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
We had a groupon and I wanted to introduce my husband to the restaurant. My first, and only other, visit was during lunch. Tonight was a long needed date night & was looking forward to impressing him with the restaurant. We enjoyed ourselves, but there were a few things I would have changed.
We started with choosing 2 sides as starters: Potato Gnocchi for me & Scallion Risotto for him. Both were amazing. We argued on which one was better. I am really glad we ordered these, as it was a LONG time before our food arrived. The place did not appear to be very packed, but it was a ridiculous amount of time before we got our entrees. I chose the chicken breast & he had the steak with corn souffle & succotash. Mine was pretty darn good. His, just okay. For a $30 steak, and Michael Smith, I expected phenomenal. If it did not look like steak, we would have guessed it was pork. Hard to believe, but we have had better steak at a Logan's Steakhouse.
I am not sure if we will go back. I do plan on checking out Extra Virgin next door. According to our waitress, that is the "fun" side. -
Review from Lynn M.
Kansas City, MO
5/25/2011
Our first visit to Michael Smith Restaurant won't be our last. My husband and I opted for the five-course tasting menu and were presented with two completely different five-course meals, and each course was beautiful, complex and creative. Everything served comes straight off the menu, so if you can't decide what single entrée to try, get the tasting menu and try lots!
My favorites were the roasted beet salad with pumpkin dressing, pepitas and goat cheese and the grilled rack of lamb with chorizo and semolina dumpling, crispy brussels sprouts and huckleberry gastrique. His favorites were the braised rabbit with house made potato gnocchi, shiitake mushrooms, leeks and shaved parmesan, and the ran roasted eye of the ribeye with celeriac pierogi, black trumpet mushroom and cippolini onion. The desserts were a bit underwhelming, but still delicious (I can make that lemon pudding cake at home with my eyes closed).
Service was good and the atmosphere was perfect for a laid-back, yet romantic evening. -
Review from Kelsy M.
Kansas City, MO
8/7/2011
My Fiancee and I went to Michael Smith with our Groupon.
I was pretty bummed out at the lack of warmth and hospitality of the place. Our waiter had very little knowledge of the wine, and he never asked me how my food was. And if he had asked, I would have told him my Mahi Mahi was dry. I was expecting a perfectly cooked fish for 30 bucks a plate. It is also pretty hard to overcook this type of fish.
The food there is very good, you won't be disappointed. I suppose after a bill of $150 bucks, you leave wondering if anyone REALLY gave a hoot that you just visited their restaurant. -
Review from Lilian O.
Houston, TX
2/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
My fiancee and I (both vegetarian) came here with two omnivorous friends during KC Restaurant Week 2011. Last year for restaurant week, the same group and I ate at The American and was extremely happy with the exceptional service, ambiance, and food. We were hoping for the same verdict for Michael Smith since he used to serve as executive chef for The American. Unfortunately this was not the case. I am not sure how much role he played in executing the dishes since he was walking back and forth between his namesake restaurant and Extra Virgin next door, talking to patrons, and checking in with his staff.
They were able to make accommodations for my fiancee and I but in a fashion that was uninventive and uninspired. Our meat eating friends both ordered the braised rabbit gnocchi for the first course, my fiancee got the gnocchi minus the rabbit, and I ordered the market greens salad. The gnocchi dish for everyone was extremely bland and completely lacked seasoning and salt. My friends were actually a little envious of the butternut squash in the vegetarian version as it offered more flavor than their meat version. The salad was just a plain salad with nothing special on it, and I'm sad to admit that I make much better salads at home. A drizzle of truffle oil and squeeze of Meyer lemon would have really helped it.
The main entree fared better for the omnivores as they said their ribeye and chicken were very good. The vegetarian entree fell short and the only redeeming item was the oyster mushrooms. My fiancee and I were secretly hoping that we could just order food from Extra Virgin next door and have them bring it to us as the veggie options there are much better. While we like butternut squash, why include it again in the main entree when it was already in the appetizer??
I was hoping the dessert would redeem the experience but unfortunately made it worse. The pear galette was too sweet, the bread pudding too rich, and the chocolate cake tasted exactly like a Little Debbie's Swiss Cake Roll (something I absolutely despise after receiving 17 boxes of it at a white elephant gift exchange party years ago). It was as if someone took a cake roll, put it on a plate, and added a scoop of coconut ice cream next to it.
The best part of the experience was the bottle of Cote du Rhone we ordered to compliment our meal. For a James Beard award winner, we were all expecting a lot more. -
Review from Annie A.
Kansas City, MO
6/1/2011
I had very high expectations of this place.. Which might have been my first problem. Don't get me wrong... the food was phenomenal!! There were 3 of us and we all shared the 1. Roasted Beet Salad - AWESOME! 2. Bacon Wrapped Quail - Interesting, but very good. 3. Braised Rabbit - of course had to try it and it did not disappoint! 4. Pan Roasted Duck - AWESOME!!! 5. Veal Cheeks - Very good and very tender.. highly recommend and I could say I've never tried that one before! 6. We had a dessert as well with ice cream and mangos - I don't remember what it was called, but it was very good!
The service was eh... which was disappointing to me, especially being in the industry and we were taking my mom out for mother's day and it was all of our's first time to go. There was a very polite blonde that seated us and visited our table a couple times including to offer us a lovely bottle of champagne to go with our dessert... she was the saving grace of the whole experience. Mr. Michael Smith did come out to our table to say hello and introduce himself which was AWESOME!!! A really nice touch! As stated in other reviews.. I know servers can have their off nights, but I really didn't expect it at this restaurant. For the price of the experience, I might not be back although I have not been to Extra Virgin yet, so I am excited to try it and I will Yelp as soon as I go there! -
Review from Alison M.
Kansas City, MO
7/14/2011 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
Food- 5 stars
Service- 3 stars... maybe
My experience with Michael Smith started with a phone call. I had the Groupon and wanted to make a reservation, but Open Table wouldn't let me reserve. So I called. I explained that I had the Groupon (learned that this always needs to be up front) and wanted to reserve a table. The woman on the phone told me that they were closed on my desired day for a private party. This is with a little over a week to use the Groupon, and I had already arranged babysitting for the evening, so I was a bit annoyed. I asked if they were closed on any other days in the next week and a half and she said they are also closed on Sunday and Monday. Ugh. I asked if I was correct with my understanding of the Groupon and she told me that I have had six months to use it, which is a lot of time. Oh, ok, thanks for that correction. I don't care that I could have used it in April when I was crazy busy with work and travel, I want to use it now. Before it expires.
Attempt two- I made the reservation through Open Table. On a random Wednesday in July and three days in advance, the only open times were 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. WTF?!? I've made reservations at far more esteemed restaurants in far larger cities for better times with less notice. Regardless, reservation secured.
We arrived early thinking we would have a drink at the bar (8:30ish for the 9 pm reservation) and there were multiple empty tables. Hmmm.... so perhaps they are not very efficient in their reservation system? Or they don't utilize Open Table well? In any case, we were seated immediately by a distant hostess. I don't expect super friendly southern truck stop type of service at these types of restaurants, but a little warmth can really go a long way.
The decor is pretty minimal, but nothing special. The view of the Crossroads is ok, but looking out on a parking lot isn't that interesting/urban either.
On to the food! The bread they served us prior to the meal was ok, nothing great, but ok. The wine was decent and they have discounted bottles during the week, so the prices on wine were really affordable. We had the mussels appetizer, which was fantastic. Our server kindly split the dish for us, which was a nice touch. It was drizzled in a yuzu sauce (our reason for ordering- yuzu love!) and was perfectly prepared. My husband had the Seared Yellowfin Tuna, which was wonderful- well prepared, still a bit rare in the middle, and served with a great plum sauce as well as well cooked veggies. I had a fish dish as well, but it was a special that I can't recall the name of. We also had a side of risotto, which was cooked with a generous amount of parmesan. The desserts were mediocre, I have to say they were the biggest disappointment of the meal, generally bland and uninspired. Be aware that the menu online is different than what they have in the restaurant- they were out of more than one dish, and had substitutions on a few others. This is likely a sign that they are using fresh ingredients, but don't go in with the expectation that they are updating their website daily (or even weekly, it seems). Our server was ok, if a bit pretentious.
Overall, we were here for a birthday dinner, so we were in a good mood, and the copious wine we drank made us happy as well. They do not have a dress code (another patron was in a baseball cap and cutoffs, and no, not the ironic hipster kind), and it just doesn't quite have the feel of it's price tag. I'd consider going back, as the food was fantastic, but I think there are better upscale restaurants in KC that have better service and atmosphere. I hope Mr. Smith understands that a good restaurant is more than just food, but is also about service and atmosphere, but from reading his cantankerous blog on their website, and from looking at other reviews, I'm just not sure that he cares. -
Review from Jessi H.
Kansas City, MO
7/15/2011
we love extra virgin. so we thought we'd love michael smith. we went on a groupon and were excited to try something new. to be fair, the service was nice. tyler, our waiter, was professional, polished and friendly.
but the food...
we started with bacon wrapped quail. it was good. and ended up being the best thing we ate that night.
out came the bread service. over-cooked. and a bit ungracious. 2 rolls. that was it. no offer for more. nothing.
i got the veal cheeks. they lacked flavor. needed salt. needed something. i could hardly eat them.
my husband got the great lake white fish. again, no flavor.
four glasses of wine later, our total before tip was $111. typically, when paying more than $30 an entree, you get a little sumthin' sumthin' for your troubles. an amuse bouche. a little taste of dessert. more bread service.
we were so unimpressed with this place that we will not recommend it to anyone and will continue to wonder why anyone goes there. i've had much better at SPIN Pizza (i know that's a huge diss.)
but to be fair, for the price range, i've had better at le fou frog, justus drugstore, the reiger, etc. etc.
but we know Michael can cook.extra virgin won us over from the get-go. but we won't return to it's slightly more sophisticated counterpart. -
Review from Kim-Anh P.
Houston, TX
3/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was visiting KC for work, and this restaurant caught my eye. We came at an odd time in the afternoon so we were seated immediately. I was trying to look at the menu online but I didn't see the menu nor the items I remember ordering (I went mid-March 2011). So bear with me, I'm going to try remembering what we had. There was a section on the menu labeled "For the adventurous". I was all over that. I tried the grilled bone marrow, the duck tongue tacos; tried my co-workers rice and chorizo and a handful of other dishes. It was tapas style, so if you get that same menu I did, it's fun to get a few different dishes and share. About 2-3 dishes are most than enough for one person.
I think the chef was a little heavy-handed on the salt that day. If I was back in KC, I think I'd stop by again try other plates on the menu. -
Review from Frank B.
Kaneohe, HI
12/2/2011
The food at Michael's Smith's is consistently excellent. The menu is a good balance of standards and innovative dishes. Our out of town guests are always impressed with the food and service here. I don't think you can go wrong when the chef has as high standards as is the case at Michael Smith's.
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Review from Brandi C.
2/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
My husband and I have wanted to go to Michael Smith since a friend of ours raved about it, and finally made it in last weekend. Even though it was freezing outside there were still plenty of people having dinner, so we were glad that we had made a reservation ahead of time.
We were seated right away, and given menus that weighed about 5 lbs. each. Not that they were super extensive, just heavy! We were also provided with a wine list which is really decent - there are a few wines offered by the glass, but the selection of bottles is much larger, so we opted to share a bottle of very nice white wine, which (happily) was served at the perfect temperature.
I started off with the watercress salad, and while it was good, it was nothing special. Just ok, really. What I should've done is ordered the rabbit gnocchi, which is what my husband had. It was excellent - very flavorful, and just the right sized portion. I will be ordering that the next time around for sure.
For dinner, I had the scallops and my husband had the chicken breast. This time around, I think my option was the winner. The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the pine nuts and golden raisins that accompanied it made for an interesting but very nice flavor and texture combination. At first, I felt that the portion was a bit small, but upon finishing, I was nicely full without being stuffed, so it was actually perfect. My husband did enjoy his chicken, but the bite that I had didn't really wow me.
We couldn't leave without checking out the dessert options, and there was no way I was going to pass up the (amazing) chocolate, cinnamon, and blood orange concoction listed. We originally planned to share, but then my husband saw that panna cotta was also an option, so we each got our own dessert. I loved mine, he loved his, and we were both happy. I enjoyed a glass of Vin Santo with my dessert, and my husband had a coffee.
All in all, we enjoyed a really good meal, and the price was more than reasonable for the quality. The restaurant actually got a little bit loud as the evening wore on and a couple of larger groups arrived, so it was a bit hard to talk at times, but other than that, we had a very nice time. I would say that Michael Smith is a perfect "date night" location. -
Review from Brenda D.
7/17/2011
This restaurant never disappoints and it's truely 5 star in all aspects. You'll often see Michael scurring about but he will take the time to talk to you if you just stop him and say hello. It's been a few weeks and I can't remember exactly what I had but it was a Caribbean dish with a white fish (not on the typical menu). Since it was Morel season, I had to order one. It was an exquisit taste of sauted mushrooms and garlic. I was used to the dredged in cracker crumbs and fried. I must say, Michael did it right. I've had a lot of menu items here and they are all fantastic! He does switch things up depending upon what's in season and this makes this restaurant always refreshing to go to. You never know what he might be serving up!
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Review from Brittney H.
Prairie Village, KS
8/21/2011
Amazing! Every last bite! From the rolls to the braised rabbit to the 8 hour roast, every thing was delicious. Definitely get the rabbit for an appetizer, you won't be disappointed. I can't wait to go back, my husband and I both loved it.
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Review from Terra M.
Kansas City, MO
8/14/2010 21 Check-ins Here
Whenever I'm feeling uninspired or ... underfed ... Popping in to Michael Smith is the sure way to cure those symptoms. The food is always perfect, not one morsel on the menu isn't worthy of the James Beard award, even when you order it to go.
The atmosphere leaves little to be desired with its minimalist look and large simple windows.
That why it's always where we bring the posh Danish speaking folks from corporate, knowing full well they wouldn't expect this quality and beauty in the, *they shudder*, midwest. As for the cost, it is exactly where you want it to be. Perfectly in line with all of the elements that go in to making a first rate restaurant in an urban area.
In the minds of so many Europeans I've known as well as the odd east-coaster, the image of Kansas City being a fly over city shattering from their perception is a sight that NEVER gets old. I love you Kansas City, the Michael Smith's of this place and their patrons: You make us proud. -
Review from D G.
Shawnee, KS
8/14/2011
Also went because of the groupon. Good thing we had it because that cut the bill in half. This place is pricey, which is fine, but for the quality of the food; that is not fine. Inconsistent would be the best way to put it. My wife has been there twice and found it inconsistent with the other 2 people she was with. The service was terrible at lunch and sub par for dinner. Her scallops were grainy, my duck was bland and cold and the gals my wife went with didn't like their dishes.
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Review from Angela P.
Kansas City, MO
7/30/2010
4.5 stars. The decor and atmosphere was lovely. I went for lunch and the prices were reasonable - two entrees and dessert for about $30. The food was portioned perfectly, even the warm bread and butter was delicious. I had the chicken, risotto, and morel sauce - which the morel sauce made the dish. The panna cotta dessert was nice, but I probably won't order it again.
Down sides - 1) its a pain to find parking.
2) service was very slow, even though there were only 4 tables filled in the entire place at lunch (server was slow, not the food arrival).
3) The AIR CONDITIONING! We were sat by a host under the only vent in the entire place and the wind was so strong our menus BLEW OFF THE TABLE! Even with my suit on, I was freezing! Then our waitress came over saw where we were sitting and without any provocation told us the host should not have sat us there because that's the "no-no table." Wow, must have had complaints before! So we were moved to another table however it was directly adjacent to the first table and in direct line of the vent so the wind was even stronger. Even the large chandelier over our heads SWAYED in the wind. Again, menus blew off the table.
So, to sum up, don't sit under a vent unless you're very warm natured. Despite these things, I will be back as the food was amazing. -
Review from mad c.
Kansas City, MO
Updated - 4/16/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Had the six course tasting menu with the wine pairings last night. Outstanding.
Listed in: KC Restaurants
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/18/2010
Grab yourself a hibiscus margarita and some bacalao. Read more »
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Review from Anna A.
Kansas City, MO
10/11/2011
What a disappointment! Michael Smith's has a reputation as one of the finer dining establishments in KC. When the Groupon was offered, I thought it the perfect opportunity to experience the restaurant. Went with my parents to celebrate their anniversary. It was a party of 6 and everyone ordered something different so I was able to taste most every entrée - whitefish, veal cheeks, mahi mahi, pork, scallops and the ribeye as well as the summer tomato salad and bacon wrapped quail starters. For a restaurant of this caliber...a restaurant of any caliber really...I was INCREDIBLY UNDERWHELMED. Not only were the majority of the entrees bland, they were no better than something you could get at your local neighborhood chain. The ribeye - inedible! Hard, dry, flavorless. The whitefish and mahi mahi were prepared very similar to the style of the ribeye - hard, dry, flavorless. The scallops were okay. The pork and veal cheeks were good in contrast to the other dishes (that's not saying much). The starters were likely the best dishes of the evening, yet still uninspired and underwhelming. Not what you expect from such a renowned chef and restaurant. Even with the Groupon discount, the bill was outrageous. I will gladly pay two times as much for a fantastic meal. But paying this much for something I would expect from an Applebee's - very frustrating. Did I mention the waitress? So pushy and pretentious. I WILL NEVER BE BACK AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO STEER CLEAR! Save your money. There are so many other amazing restaurants in KC. Go to one of those instead!
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Review from Annie F.
Baldwin City, KS
7/14/2011
So, I LOVE hype. I love trying something new and exciting and inventive. I HATE it when something this alluring is wrapped up in poor customer service and attitude. After multiple attempts to get reservations, after multiple questions about certain offerings, their staff offers irreproachable demeanor. The food MIGHT be wonderful, I'll never know and I'll never recommend and I'll probably avoid this restaurant with vigor. Chefs and restaurateurs need to understand that it's a complex package of food, ambiance and accessible wait staff that makes a restaurant worthy of more than one star.
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Review from jennifer j.
Kansas City, MO
1/8/2008
My fish was great but my girlfriend's steaks were overcooked. Waitress repeated the cooks fowl language as she recounted the story of returning the steaks to the kitchen. Waitress was not interested in catching the roach which did the hoochy coochy dance over the wine bottles our entire meal. Finally she got a napkin and snatch it after my restaurant manager friend recommended she do so.
Wrote a letter to Michael (owner/chef) about the experience. Instead of being sympathetic, he went on to tell me about the lifespan of the roach and what it means when you see them out in the open. He recounted his extermination process and how roaches like to live in cardboard boxes...more then I needed to know.
May Michael and his roaches have tons of success....ewww. -
Review from Kyle R.
Kansas City, MO
4/12/2008
Went to Michael Smith's for lunch on a Thursday and found it to be busy but not enough that we had to wait at all. Just in case, we made a reservation online with OpenTable - on a side note, I LOVE being able to do that with tons of restaurants.
The lunch menu had a variety of great items on it, everything from a burger to grilled octopus. I settled on the grilled chicken/cheese sandwich with asparagus soup and it was absolutely delicious. I'm admittedly a fiend for hot sandwiches but this one was especially good. Asparagus soup sounded kind of weird but it turned out to be pretty good, though the portion would not be what I'd call generous.
I usually order lemonade at lunch and expect to not enjoy it that much, as most restaurants have some lousy fountain version and not real lemonade. But Michael Smith's served me an interesting, carbonated but really good lemonade - no idea what it was but it turned out to be great.
Its a great spot to take clients for business or for a date - can't wait to try it again.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from S S.
Kansas City, MO
2/5/2008
If you want to know what the food of an award-winning chef tastes like but don't want to break the bank, try out this great new restaurant in the Crossroads district. I dined with two friends, both of whom I would describe as "foodies". One, a restaurant owner himself, described Michael Smith's new restaurant as world's better than his previous one (40 Sardines).
We shared the rabbit with gnocchi to start. The potato pasta was wonderful, and the rabbit complemented it perfectly--great flavors all around. We all ordered different main dishes--me the roast, them the grouper and the bison. All were great. The fried zucchini atop my dish was to die for...I almost wish it had been a side dish instead of a garnish. Desserts didn't disappoint, either. We tried a few, but the best by far was the tirimisu.
Try this place out. The food is great and the reasonable prices allow you to enjoy a nice bottle of wine with your meal. -
Review from Jenny B.
Overland Park, KS
2/16/2010
Went to Michael Smith during restaurant week and was pleasantly surprised. I love his younger feeling, spicier restaurant Extra Virgin which is right next door but I was worried about the cold atmosphere at the more upscale eatery.
The decor was a little sparse but it is meant to have that feeling. The warmth comes from the personalized photos and the soft candle light.
Service was less friendly than next door but was fine. 2-3 stars.
The food however was incredible. Their house dish the gnocchi and braised duck was by far and away the best thing we tried and for two young 20 somethings eating at a restaurant we could normally not afford the portions and food was out of this world. But we were out of place and could hear all of the pretentiousness around us so we drank some more wine and lapped up every last little bit of our desserts and went out to party and left the old people to their own devices. -
Review from A B.
Kansas City, MO
3/21/2011
I went with my girlfriend on a pretty cold night and there were only a few people in the restaurant. We got seated in the corner next to the window/ concrete walls. I was surprised and a bit offended they sat us there considering it was freezing cold outside and the restaurant was empty. I was going to ask to be moved by my gf insisted it was okay... which she regretted 5 minutes into our meal when we were both freezing and had to keep our jackets on. The service was absolutely terrible and slow. We ended up staying for 1 hour 40 minutes!! I would have liked to been in and out in 45 to 1hr. Food was okay... server was terrible. This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had.
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Review from Noelle M.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2008
3..ish.
I came here with high hopes and really wasn't very impressed.
So they have a sommelier who will come over and discuss Champagne options (btw I'm not an idiot, I know anything not from the Champagne region is sparkling wine, DB), sure Michael Smith himself came out and shook our hands and asked how everything was, but was the food amazing? No.
I came here with my GM and someone from our Corporate office and we couldn't really decide on any entree (none sounded that spectacular) we got pretty much every app then split the briased veal short rib.
For apps:
lemon ricotta tortellini: probably my least fave, dull, off flavor
braised rabbit gnocchi: aside from eatting bunnies, I really enjoyed this one
crab filled meatball wellington: I liked this, but you couldn't even taste the crab so it was a bit pointless
grilled octopus and prawns: I don't like seafood, but I tried this...ew
scallops: same as above, the party I was with loved scallops but did not like these
ribs: mehhhh, didn't hate it but didn't love it
so for dessert we got the tiramasu and a dark chocolate cake, neither of which I would have ordered. I REALLLLY wanted to try the "petit banana spilt with banana mousse layer cake" omg sounded so good, but my GM vetoed it. The tiramasu was not like any other i'd ever had...I don't even know if it should be called that. And chocolate cake is chocolate cake. So, there you have it.
Mr. Smith is opening a new restaurant up soon...Extra Virgin ...aka dumbest name ever.
