Interview conducted by Kim Mueller
So, you want to make the most of your visit to Kansas City, but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered. In this series, we’ve nabbed the inside scoop from a KC expert: your local concierge.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Jeremy Bennett serves as the Director of Lifestyle at Crossroads Hotel, formerly a bottling plant for the world-famous Pabst Brewing Company. Here are Jeremy’s top picks:
DINE
The Antler Room is on everyone’s top lists. I love it for the innovation. It’s a tiny restaurant owned by Nick and Leslie Goellner. Leslie, who works the front of the house, has one of the best palates in the city for wine. I regularly ask her to pour me something weird—and it will blow my doors off!
The Antler Room has a very diverse, moderately priced menu with a strong nod to Asian cuisine. I like the Shokupan, but I also love the dumplings. They spend a lot of time preparing all the goodies that go into their dumplings. They’re just beautiful. The menu is smartly built; it encourages sharing and entices you to try one or two more extra plates.
The Antler Room, 2506 Holmes St., 816-605-1967
SHOP
For her: Without a doubt, we love sending people to Dear Society. My wife shops there. Attainably priced fashion is kind of the owner’s thing. (Co-owner) Chanel Jezek is always very now, very current. Dear Society is also a great source for stunning vintage clothing.
For him: The best gear in town can be found at East + West KC. I buy clothes from them all the time. Maybe the price point is a little bit higher, but their garments are of high quality. This is where you will find the more elevated everyday workwear, over shirts and lots of denim. The owner, Cameron Niederhauser, has an awesome barber shop in the back and a little sewing machine in the front. He does some of the best denim repair. I guarantee that we might find him fixing a pair of pants right now if we popped in.
Dear Society and E+West KC both do a really amazing job of traveling to the fashion shows in Europe, San Francisco and SoHo and bringing those unique boutique brands to Kansas City.
Dear Society, 115 W. 18th St., 816-912-9582; East + West, 1828 Grand Blvd., 816-492-6186
PLAY
Breweries in Kansas City are a thing right now. Sometimes you just want to go have a beer and that is totally fine. But sometimes you want to go to that next level of learning. That’s when I like to direct our guests to the Smokestack Tour & Tasting at Boulevard Brewing Co. You get a little more detail—and the bites are delicious.
Come dressed as you are. The beer hall is an amazing space that you should check out. It’s kid-friendly if you are just doing the general $5 tour. The Smokestack Tour is 21 and up, and we highly recommend it.
Boulevard Brewing Co., 2532 Madison Ave., 816-701-7247