1924 Main (Kansas City)

[Osnav]

Arrived in KC around 1PM last Friday. As all our friends were working and we were starving, I called moosnsqrl for a lunch recommendation as we were driving into the city.

We ended up at 1924 (located at 1924 Main St.).

It was a delightful place. There was a three course lunch offered w/ wine parings for $5/course and $4/$6 for the wine parings (small pour & large pour). You also could choose as many or few courses and you wanted.

I went for the 2 course (appetizer and entree) with the large wine parings. I had a wonderful bowl of mussels and califlower in a light curry concoction and a one person pizza of pears, walnuts, & gorgonzola. Both were small portions but filled with flavor and perfect for a sunny Fall afternoon.

St. Celia had the same two course option with the small wine parings. She had a terrific celaric puree soup and an open-faced broccoli rabe sandwich topped with feta and a fried egg (spectacular).

The wines were drinkable but nondescript.

I would recommend this place to anyone who finds thereselves near downtown KC at lunchtime.

I was told the menu changes weekly, so there is always something new to try.

[JWest]

I got the chance to have lunch with my mother and sister today at 1924 Main. I was extremely happy with the food and service. I definetly think the chef has his flavor profiles dead straight on and the cooks seem to know what they are doing as well, everything was seasoned perfectly, the little things about well executed food showed, crispy food was crispy, flavors balanced well from acidic to sweet, and everything tasted fresh. The service was great, never got in the way and had perfect timing without interrupting.

1st course: Smoked Beef Salad with Arugula, Red Onions, Black Olive Croutons and Red Pepper Aioli

2nd course:Pineapple-Pepperjack-Bacon Burger with Mango-Avocado Salsa and Lime Aioli

My sister has found her favorite burger and I really don't blame her, I love avocado on burgers, taste just great.

1st course: Grilled Escarole Salad with Smoked Salmon, Egg, Feta, Fried Potatoes and Caper Vin

2nd course: Italian Sausage Panini with Caramelized Onions, Cabbage and Mustard Aioli

This just shows they know how to do it right, melted cheese with sweet caramalized onions can never go wrong on hot italian sausage! The first thing I said about eating the salad was that "this is my favorite salad of all time"

1st course: Diver Scallop with Creamed Cabbage, Bacon and Mirepoix

2nd course: Fried Escolar with Roasted Red Pepper Puree, Swiss Chard and Garlic Aioli

My mom is a big scallop fan so she obviously ordered both these dishes which tasted very rich and flavorful, one thing I noticed is that they love their Aiolis, but who doesnt love aioli?

3rd course: Sautéed Pineapple-Mango Vol-Au-Vent with Coconut Ice Cream and Macadamia Nuts

This was just a great combination of bitter caramel and sweet caramalized fruits

3rd course:Chocolate-Banana Boston Cream Pie with Rum-Raisin Ice Cream

This dessert reminded me of the chocolate cake you would make from a box because it was so fluffy and soft, this just tasted like heaven with the bananas.

3rd course: Artisan Cheese of the Week with Fruit and Toasted Walnut Bread

My mom accidently ordered the cheese but it definetly tasted great and she loved it.

So I found that 1924 Main is a place everyone should go atleast once a month or how about a week with there weekly menu changes? They do some simple straight forward food but it works so well because they cook everything the way it should be done and everything just tastes great.... looking forward to having dinner there someday, Im wondering if they go more upscale or not for the 3 course dinner for $30...

[ulterior epicure]

jwest.

i'm heading there soon - thanks for the update. perhaps tomorrow? wow - looks good!

cheers.

u.e.

[Katie Nell]

So I found that 1924 Main is a place everyone should go atleast once a month or how about a week with there weekly menu changes? They do some simple straight forward food but it works so well because they cook everything the way it should be done and everything just tastes great.... looking forward to having dinner there someday, Im wondering if they go more upscale or not for the 3 course dinner for $30...

←

I've been there only for dinner, and I would say it's about the same as lunch from your pictures. The portions seem slightly larger at dinner, and maybe a little less casual, i.e., no hamburgers, etc. I do have to say that they won both my boyfriend and I over on several foods that we thought we didn't like... I would eat anything at 1924 Main and expect it to be fabulous!

[foodexile]

Bluestem is KC's best restaurant.

But 1924 is equally important - serving high-quality, ingredient-focused food in a beautiful downtown setting.

I hope the restaurant keeps thriving.

[JWest]

Bluestem is KC's best restaurant.

But 1924 is equally important - serving high-quality, ingredient-focused food in a beautiful downtown setting.

I hope the restaurant keeps thriving.

←

I agree 100%

[ulterior epicure]

this just in.

i was to lunch at 1924 main this week with a large party. i was actually disappointed by this visit - which is such a pity because i had enjoyed it so much the first time (this past summer). i had the scallop for entree and the fried escolar for main course (just like jwest's mother).

to be sure, the diver scallop was generous, fat and under-cooked, but carmelized on top. wonderful. unfortunately, the creamed cabbage and mirapoix accompaniment i found to be a gooey oily inedible mess.

the fried escolar would have been nice, except the thick cornmeal crusted nuggets were so small that i hardly got to enjoy the delicate white meat inside. while the srirachi was a great touch (a tad much, the poor nuggets were drowning in the red sauce, the aioli i found too liquidy... and tasteless. with just the scallop and the scraps of fish, i was left hungry (i even had an 8-course meal the night before!).

ice creams were great. especially the egg nog. the espresso was disappointingly bland - and tasted (and looked) like pedestrian chocolate...

on the other hand, others in my party enjoyed their dishes much better - the pineapple hamburger with bacon, pepperjack and mango-avocado salsa was wonderful. the bun itself looked good enough for a meal! the bean soup also was a hit. the fried egg open-face panini looked great (and generous). if i had another chance, i definitely would have ordered the smoked beef salad - i envied those who chose wisely in that department...

oh well, i won't stop going to 1924 main because of this one experience... i've learned all too well that part of the restaurant experience is ordering the right things. evidently, i didn't.

u.e.

Edited December 30, 2005 by ulterior epicure (log)

[Katie Nell]

this just in.

i was to lunch at 1924 main this week with a large party.  i was actually disappointed by this visit - which is such a pity because i had enjoyed it so much the first time (this past summer).  i had the scallop for entree and the fried escolar for main course (just like jwest's mother).

to be sure, the diver scallop was generous, fat and under-cooked, but carmelized on top.  wonderful.  unfortunately, the creamed cabbage and mirapoix accompaniment i found to be a gooey oily inedible mess.

the fried escolar would have been nice, except the thick cornmeal crusted nuggets were so small that i hardly got to enjoy the delicate white meat inside.  while the srirachi was a great touch (a tad much, the poor nuggets were drowning in the red sauce, the aioli i found too liquidy... and tasteless.  with just the scallop and the scraps of fish, i was left hungry (i even had an 8-course meal the night before!).

ice creams were great.  especially the egg nog.  the espresso was disappointingly bland - and tasted (and looked) like pedestrian chocolate...

on the other hand, others in my party enjoyed their dishes much better - the pineapple hamburger with bacon, pepperjack and mango-avocado salsa was wonderful.  the bun itself looked good enough for a meal!  the bean soup also was a hit.  the fried egg open-face panini looked great (and generous).  if i had another chance, i definitely would have ordered the smoked beef salad - i envied those who chose wisely in that department...

oh well, i won't stop going to 1924 main because of this one experience...  i've learned all too well that part of the restaurant experience is ordering the right things.  evidently, i didn't.

u.e.

←

Too bad... if you would have eaten at my table, I would have let you tried mine... just a bite, mind you! Better luck next time!

[ulterior epicure]

you can see my two meals at 1924 on my flickr account.

happy viewing!

u.e.

[JWest]

Just realized that they updated their website. It looks much better and has more information on Chef Rob Dalzell....

www.1924main.com

I can't wait to go there again and most likely quite often when I get back in KC.

Edited March 20, 2006 by JWest (log)

[ulterior epicure]

According to Chicago Magazine's "Dish" Section, it looks like K.C.'s 1924 Main will play big brother to a new Midwest relative (of the non-blood-related type)... Joe Farina (of Chicago's Rosebud's fame) is opening up a place at 1924 South State Street.

... maybe I should start buying up all of the 1924 property in major U.S. cities!!

u.e.

Edited March 23, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[JWest]

Went in for lunch ($15 + $3.95 for Blackberry Sage Iced Tea) at the Chef's Bar this time. The food was spot on delicious and the service was warming as usual. One of the cook's gave me a bowl of their famous Fried Green Beans with some sort of garlic Aioli (it was green).

Fried Green Beans- Very tasty and addicting. I guess you get this as a complimentary dish if you sit at the bar.. I noticed everyone got one at the bar. (Priced at $5)

1st Course: Duck Confit Cranberry Raviolis, Rosemary Cider Broth, and Shoestring Sweet Potatoes. This was a very tasty broth, the ravioli pasta was okay, and the filling was great. I was glad that it came with a spoon so I could enjoy the flavorful broth.

2nd Course: Mustard Glazed Halibut with Sweet Potato Corn Hash and Red Eye Gravy. The halibut was delicious, the glaze and the sear on this fish was very nice. The red eye gravy was nice but of course doesn't compare with BigCountry's Red Eye Gravy! Although it was very pleasing to have a spicy and sweet contrast from the mixture and the fish.

3rd Course: Lemon Creme Brulee, Belgium Poppyseed Waffle, and Mascerated Berries. This dessert was a lot better than the last visit...by far. The warm waffle with the cold berry mixture was perfect and I usually don't like ordering creme brulee but I figured if I am ever going to, this would be the place I'd do it. It had a nice hard crisp shell and the lemon custard was soft, smooth, and flavorful.

Oh and the bread was actually pretty nice this time around as well... looks like they made a few minor adjustments. The Chef's bar is fun, Chef Dalzell seems to be a nice guy and down to earth as well as the back of the house/front of the house staff members. The servers have been very personable and not just acting like robots. It's great when you can actually have a real conversation with your server without having them go back into the kitchen to ask questions. Both times I've had an enjoyable time in the dining room and the chef's bar.

Pictures are on the blog and my Picasa account

Edited September 16, 2006 by JWest (log)

[moosnsqrl]

I enjoyed a nice lunch there ~a month ago (but was too lazy to report ). I had a burger (odd choice for recently recovering vegetarian) and it was SO good I still remember it. I have no idea what they did to make it so special (maybe it was just cooked properly) but it killed.

I noticed they had the "chef's bar" (vs. Chef's Table) and need to do that on the next visit. If I'm not mistaken, Crystal (who was interning at Webster House several years ago) is working there now, so it would be like old times sitting at the counter there and kibbetzing with the crew.

[ulterior epicure]

I had a burger (odd choice for recently recovering vegetarian) and it was SO good I still remember it.

Um, there was one year of my life that I became vegetarian - not because of some personal/environmental/political/humanitarian campaign, and not because of some lapse in sanity, but simply because, well, I don't know, I just didn't feel like eating meat. Well, I do remember the first time I came back to the carnivorous team... it was a burger - it was in a cafeteria and I swear it was the best dang burger I'd EVER had. Judy, I venture to say that 1924, despite all its lauded talent and goodness, didn't do anything special... it might just be your cavewoman instincts roaring...

On a more topical note - what was on the burger?

u.e.

[ulterior epicure]

1. Can we change the title of this thread to "1924 Main?" *hint*

2. Correct me if I'm not mistaken, but in it's early days, diners used to get a free cookie at the end of the meal regardless of whether dessert was ordered???

[ulterior epicure]

1. Can we change the title of this thread to "1924 Main?"  *hint* 

Wow, talk about sleeper threads...

I thought it might bear mentioning that 1924 Main (which is the correct name of this restaurant) has re-tooled their menu format. No doubt, with the onslaught of competition from the P&L District, Dalzell's been having to find creative new ways to generate business. This includes Sunday brunch (2 courses for $12). Also, in addition to his Weekday Dinner, Weekend Dinner, and Weekday Lunch menus, he's featuring a special Monday Night Dinner menu which consists of 3 courses for $25. Sounds like a steal to me. Has anyone been recently?

[Le Peche]

everything sounds accurate except 1924 main no longer offers weekday lunches with the exception of friday.

[ulterior epicure]

everything sounds accurate except 1924 main no longer offers weekday lunches with the exception of friday.

With the exception of Friday lunch and Sunday brunch, 1924 main has become dinner-only?