Chicken N Pickle, North Kanas City
November 2022
At first glance chicken and pickleball seems an unlikely combo, but it definitely works thanks to founder and owner, Dave Johnson.
Just across the Missouri River from downtown Kansas City, Chicken N Pickle’s first restaurant boasts eight pickleball courts, an expansive lawn-performance-picnic space, a chef-driven casual restaurant and sports bar. Live entertainment, trivia night, brunch and bingo, can-in-hand yoga and pickleball and a summer tiki shack add to the fun. Laughter and competition between family members and friends takes place over giant lawn games and on the pickleball courts.
Rewind to 2015, Johnson discovered the game of pickleball in Phoenix and decided to bring it to Kansas City. On other travels, his favorite eatery in Grand Cayman, Chicken! Chicken!, served wood-roasted chicken. With both in mind, he bought property for this first location near his office and called on long-time Kansas City restaurateur, Bill Crooks, who spearheaded the development of the sizeable, freshly-made menu.
Johnson’s mission to provide an atmosphere that fosters family, fun, friendship and community starts with an enjoyable atmosphere, local suppliers and giving back to the community. Through its “Our Hearts Are Local” program, this location raised nearly $71,000 last year and supported 476 charitable organizations. Each of the company’s six locations, with three more coming, has a dedicated community engagement manager.
When my husband and I walked into Chicken N Pickle’s courtyard on a Thursday evening for dinner, it was hopping. For starters and sides, tasty avocado hummus, fried pickles, sides of spicy coleslaw, grilled broccoli boasting a bit of heat and street corn complemented the entrees. Perfectly smoked chicken, brined then cooked on a wood-fired rotisserie fueled by Missouri post oak came with the choice of four different house rubs—from mild to spicy—accompanied by a melt-in-your-mouth, non-GMO flour tortilla from local Yoli Tortilleria. A meal can be made of the hearty five-piece chicken wings or tasty burnt end sandwich, both smoked over post oak for hours. There’s also a popular salmon bowl. Mondays, the $5 flat burger special is quite a deal as is Taco Tuesday. Beef hails from local Good Natured Family Farms. A yummy, sharable cast iron skillet cowboy cookie capped our meal.
Each location features a broad selection of local beers on tap (some rotate seasonally) as well as domestic and international styles, plus cocktails. Besides the restaurant’s main bar, the rooftop bar affords panoramic views of downtown Kansas City.
Visit ChickenNPickle.com for more information.
The German Table, Cole Camp
August 2022
In the tiny community of Cole Camp, people flock for miles around to dine at The German Table, only open Friday and Saturday evenings. Cole Camp dates to 1839 and is the site of one of the Civil War’s first skirmishes in 1861. Historic brick buildings line Cole Camp’s main street, and Highway 52 bisects downtown. On Friday nights, souped-up cars and trucks power through town.
The German Table is decidedly authentic. Clientele spans city folk, like my husband and myself, Amish women wearing head coverings and local couples out for the evening. Owner Sam Cole—no relation to Cole Camp’s founder—remarks, “With very few exceptions, everything is made from scratch. And I keep two books for diners to look at that tell about our history and German heritage and include pictures of the town.”
For an appetizer, we started with the plate-size, warm pretzel served with house dressing and German mustard—so delicious! (Later in the evening, our waitress, Kenda, who owns the town’s beauty salon, confessed to making the pretzels and popular cheesecakes.) Diners can choose from six schnitzel variations, with pork or chicken served on a bed of German egg noodles fried in butter called spätzle. I chose Rahm schnitzel, a thinly pounded chicken breast lightly coated with flour, eggs and bread crumbs and fried to perfection. Smothered in cream gravy with mushrooms and a hint of brandy, it reminded me of my German grandmother’s cooking as did the accompanying crispy-golden potato pancakes.
My husband ordered the wurst plate, featuring a brat from local Back Yonder Farms and barbecue brisket bratwurst, potato pancakes and green beans cooked with onions and bacon. Creamy red skin potato salad and warm German potato salad, a longtime Cole Camp recipe, are noteworthy. Chilled sweet-sour cucumber and onion salad, Sam’s mom’s recipe, complements the heavier dishes. Corned beef lovers will be pleased that the restaurant bakes and shreds their own corned beef for the popular Reuben sandwich.
Homemade desserts, served on antique glass bubble dishes, include apple dumplings boasting an incredibly flaky crust, black forest cake soaked in cherry liqueur and topped with homemade whipped cream and the not-overly-sweet Bavarian chocolate torte layering a brown sugar-whipped cream filling. Kenda bakes more than 30 flavors of cheesecake that rotate weekly; order ahead and take home a whole cheesecake for a very reasonable price. German beers and wines round out this satisfying German dining experience.
Visit TheGermanTable.com for more information.
Meriwether Cafe & Bike Shop, Rocheport
February 2022
Located directly on the Katy Trail with an umbrellaed patio and interesting menu, the Meriwether Café & Bike Shop is delightful for breakfast or lunch—whether you’re biking the trail or not.
According to owner Brad Landolt, the menu is simple scratch with few exceptions. Local producers are continually sourced, and menu items change with the seasons while retaining the most popular dishes. Chef Max Crowley, who formerly worked at a Columbia restaurant, oversees the kitchen.
My sister and I were impressed by the seasonal miso-peach salad combining local peaches, melon balls, tomatoes and chopped cucumber drizzled with a miso-sherry vinaigrette. Not on the menu long, it’s definitely worth looking for. The Southwest black bean burger incorporates roasted local sweet corn as a vegetarian alternative to the flavorful and popular Meriburger. Vegetarians will find the vegetable and house-made hummus sandwich satisfying and filling. With any meal, the buttermilk pancakes are a must— plate-size, fluffy and scrumptious. Also deserving accolades, homemade cookies are baked daily and make a perfect snack on the trail. Additional baked goods rotate through homemade pop tarts, chocolate truffles, apple crumble bars and more. All breakfast and lunch items are available daily, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The café is closed on Wednesdays.
“We’re happy to serve a hamburger for breakfast to hungry bikers, and we offer quite a few vegan and vegetarian items,” says Landolt. “During the pandemic we started using a contactless menu, which gives us the ability to instantly change things up. If chef wants to run a French toast special on Sunday, we can easily add it.”
Of course, most diners are cycling the trail, either on multi-day trips or pedaling the 15 miles from Columbia to have breakfast before heading back. Others drive to Rocheport, rent a bike and ride a section of the trail before rewarding themselves at the café. Breakfast offerings include the hearty and extremely popular Louisiana Purchase that fuels hungry cyclists with two pancakes, sausage or bacon, home fries and eggs.
Landolt lives in Columbia with his wife and two children. For many years, his career was in the restaurant industry as a general manager. Enthusiasm runs deep for the area and his business, which he purchased in August 2021.
“Rocheport is an idyllic little town with a much different pace than my former career,” he says. “I started as the café’s general manager, but I quickly realized that Rocheport is a special place and a wonderful community.”
Visit MeriwetherCafeAndBikeShop.com for more information.