Charisse Old French / New American

Affordable and Delightful Happy Hour Offered Monday - Saturday at Charisse

From 4 .m. - close, Monday through Saturday Charisse offers delicious small plates and great drink specials at the bar. Get happy hour deals in the dining room Monday - Friday from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. 

Charisse is a small and gourmet french restaurant located in the 10th block of Walnut street downtown Kansas City, Missouri. This cute and rustic little restaurant is worth the stop. The staff goes above and beyond to make the customers happy. While I was there the bartenders were very talkative and were interested in getting to know everyone in my party. My party of 5 walked in just 10 minutes before they closed and they kept the bar open for us an hour later.

The bartenders told us about various specials they have throughout the week like industry night, which occurs every Monday. Fellow restaurant industry workers are invited to dine at Charisse and receive 50% off with proper identification. 2whiskey 2uesdays is every Tuesday where you are able to buy one whiskey drink and get the second whiskey drink free! They have plenty of whiskey options to choose from. 

Speaking of plenty of options, Charisse's wine list is never ending! They serve 23 different wines by the glass. During happy hour their house wine, Vieux Papes - French Table Wine, is only $5 per glass and it is delicious. Charisse also offers a wine by the glass rewards program.... yes, seriously. Ask your server about it next time you're in there. 

I learned brief history about the restaurant and how it came about. Chef Jason Craine, who has been with the restaurant (formerly Aixois Brasserie) at 1006 Walnut St. since it opened in June 2012, took over the spotlight and changed the name to Charisse, after his wife.

While I was there, I only ordered off of the happy hour menu because the food was cheap and we weren't looking for a big meal. We ended up getting 5 different appetizers and plenty of drinks from the happy hour menu. 

The happy hour features $5 house wine and champagne, $4 well drinks and $4 select beers as well as over 15 different happy hour small plates to choose from all under $12

One of my absolute favorite things we ordered was the mini monsieurs which is the smaller version of their classic French ham, cheese and bèchamel sandwich. This creamy cheesey sandwich was amazing and for only $6 you can get three of them. 

Another delicious small plate we ordered was the mini cheese and meat board. This small cutting board comes with two cheeses, with a choice of pate, prosciutto, or sopressata with crostinis and accoutrements. Everything was incredible. I recommend getting this as an appetizer to share with the table. The happy hour mini version is $9 and the appetizer version is $16 on the dinner menu. 

Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are accepted by calling 816.474.0000 or by using the OpenTable app on your smart phone. Charisse is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. and serving dinner Saturday from 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 

To visit their website, click HERE

Let me know about your experience at Charisse in the comments below!

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/cityscape/article2963340.html#storylink=cpy

Summit Grill and Bar - Waldo

Summit Grill and Bar - Waldo offers a delicious brunch all weekend long.

Summit Grill and Bar, located on the corner of 75th and Washington streets in the Waldo neighborhood, offers a brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The menu features a wide variety of classic and creative breakfast items and $9 bottomless mimosas. Menu selection includes jarred spicy cheese grits with thick-cut bacon, buttermilk biscuits and gravy and Summit original breakfast with two eggs, hash brown potatoes, toast and choice of bacon or sausage. 

Summit Grill and Bar’s original location in Lee’s Summit joined the brunch club. Brunch is available in the Lee’s Summit neighborhood with both Saturday and Sunday brunch service from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

$9 bottomless mimosas make Summit brunch a fun brunch! After all, a brunch without booze is just a sad breakfast. Compared to $3 for one mimosas at other local brunch hot spots, $9 for all you can drink is a steal. Share them among the table, or keep it to yourself. No judging here. :)

 I am a true believer in having breakfast food during brunch. The Summit original breakfast gets all of the traditional breakfast foods in one spot. Eggs, hashbrowns, toast and your choice of sausage or bacon. I asked them to cook cheesy scrambled eggs. Best decision of my life.  

I would highly recommend making a reservation anytime you plan on dining at Summit in Waldo. Especially Friday and Saturday nights. The the dining area is not very large and it fills up quick! 

The staff always goes above and beyond to make your dining experience the best. I’ve dined at Summit on several occasions and have always had superb service. 

Be prepared to shout above the rest of the restaurant on a busy dinner or brunch rush. Once again the dining room is very small and they pack in as many people as they can. 

However, the Lee’s Summit location has a large dining room and a large wrap-around bar along with a private dining room, private bar and two outdoor patios. 

You’ll find Andy Lock, the owner, welcoming guests into the restaurant and Domhnall Molloy, the executive chef, putting a personal touch on each plate in the kitchen. 

Summit was an overall great experience with beyond delicious food. Delicious is an understatement. Trust me. 

Share your experience at Summit in the comments!

About Summit Grill and Bar

Summit Bar and Grill is a casual American restaurant opened in Lee’s Summit, Missouri in 2013 and Kansas City, Missouri’s historic Waldo neighborhood in Oct. 2014. Both locations are open daily for lunch, dinner and happy hour, as well as Saturday and Sunday brunch. The restaurant’s menus feature a range of options from sandwiches, salads and burgers to hand-cut steaks and seafood. Summit Grill and Bar is led by long-time restaurateurs Domhnall Molloy and Andy Lock, formerly of McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood and Steaks. Summit Grill and Bar is located in Lee’s Summit at 4835 NE Lakewood Way and in Kansas City at 500 W. 75^th Street in Kansas City. Reservations can be made online through Open Table or by calling 816-795-1299 in Lee’s Summit and 816-361-9788 in Kansas City. Visit Summit online at SummitGrillandBar.com. 

Manny's Mexican Restaurant

Practice Makes Perfect and After 33 years, Manny’s Restaurant is Perfection

Located in the crossroads on the iconic corner of 20th and Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, this restaurant has been serving authentic family recipes for thirty-three years. 

The 350 seat restaurant features large private dining rooms, a full service bar and the most popular margarita in town, Manny’s Margarita- with a secret house-made sweet and sour mix.

The food is great quality and the drinks are strong. What’s not to love about this place?

When you first walk through the doors, the bar area seems tiny and makes you wonder how this restaurant can seat 350 people. Then, the hostess takes you up the steps and around the corner and it hits you, a gigantic room with large tables and booths as far as you can see. 

This large dining area with private dining rooms is perfect for hosting a large family gathering or just get-together with a group of friends. 

During Kansas City Restaurant Week, Manny’s offered this not-so-mini margarita pitcher. The house-made sweet and sour mix is delicious and they didn’t skimp on the tequila. Watch out, this margarita will knock you on the floor pretty quick. 

Manny’s Margarita is a very sweet margarita featuring Juarez tequila, triple sec, house-made sweet and sour mix and a splash of orange juice. 

Other notable drinks to try are the Mexican Peach with Cazadores Reposado Tequila, peach Schnaps, cranberry juice and house-made sweet and sour mix. Also, check out the Manny’s Adelita with Juarez tequila, Dekuyper blue cuacao and house-made sweet and sour mix. 

Another signature item of Manny’s is their Monterey Cheese Dip ($6.89). This white zesty dip comes in half and full sizes. Order the full size, trust me. The chips are delicious, hot and perfectly salty.

One delightfully delicious surprise on the menu was Manny’s Burrito ($8.29). Pork, ground beef, chicken.. you can’t go wrong with any of them! Come hungry because this burrito is massive! 

For dessert, sopapilla chips ($4.99)! Fried flour tortillas drizzled with your choice of honey or chocolate syrup and topped with ice cream and whipped cream! You don’t want to miss out on this gooey, warm cinnamon dessert.

Make sure to check out Manny’s Happy Hour, Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. 

$4.00 Margaritas and Sangria

$3.00 Domestic and Import Bottle Beer

$3.00 Drafts

$3.00 Monterey,  Jalapano, and Bean Dips

$6.00 Manny’s Nachos

$4.00  2 Crunchy Taco, Tostado & Flauta – You choose!

And of course, don't forget about Taco Tuesday! 
$5 Taco Tuesday special with rice or beans and add an additional taco for just $2.

To visit their full menu, click HERE

For catering options, click HERE

What's your favorite dish and drink from Manny's? Let me know in the comments!