Elly’s Brunch & Other Weekend Possibilities
Elle's Brunch has hand-cut fries. (Jonathan Bender I Flatland)
Published November 23rd, 2017 at 6:00 AM
An upscale pancake house has arrived on the Plaza. Elly’s Brunch & Café (4800 Main St.), which has locations in Phoenix and Chicago, is now open across from the Kansas City Public Library’s Plaza branch. They’ve got egg skillets, oversized pancakes (gluten-filled and gluten-free), and brioche French toast. Forgo the hash browns and substitute in the hand-cut fries. Right next door, Larkburger — a Colorado import with plenty of protein options for burgers (tuna, mushroom and chicken, among them) — is in the works.
Rye Plaza (4646 JC Nichols Parkway) opens at 4 p.m. Saturday. This is the second location of the Midwest-inspired eatery from Megan and Colby Garrelts. The original is at 10551 Mission Road in Leawood, Kansas.
At the Plaza location, executive chef John Brogan will be kicking out shrimp and grits and fried chicken. The pastry chef is Keara Masson, and you’ll see Megan’s lemon meringue and banana cream pie coming out of the open pastry kitchen. The new location will be open for dinner initially, and then they’ll add lunch service in December with plans to roll out breakfast and brunch in early 2018.
While you’re in the neighborhood, The Bar West Plaza (1121 W. 47th St.) is open in the former Journeyman Café space. The bar and grill has pub fare (chili, Mexican food, burgers, bacon snuck into grilled cheese and curly fries). Happy hour is from 2 to 6 p.m. There are two other locations: The Bar (6101 Johnson Drive, Mission, Kansas) and Bar West (7174 Renner Road, Shawnee, Kansas).
Discover inspiration for your next gingerbread house at Crown Center’s Santa’s Gingerbread Station. Check out the Gingerbread Village and snag a photo with Santa. The free interactive exhibits runs through the end of the year and is open during Crown Center’s hours.
Cinder Block Brewery (110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri) is holding a Black Squirrel release party on from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday. The Russian Imperial Stout will be available in bottles and on draft. The beer is aged in whiskey barrels, and they’re also turning it into a syrup they’re serving with pancakes and sausages.
You’ve got plenty of options if you want to shop on Small Business Saturday. Downtown Overland Park is hosting a Sip Hot & Shop Small from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can get free tastings of hot coffee (Irish and your standard cup of joe), hot chocolate, or apple cider, as well as shopping specials. Do Good Co. (1320 W. 39th St.) is hosting a Sustainability Market from noon to 4 p.m. with fair trade goods. Keep an eye out for Love Light Paper’s prints and The Arise Box.
Fetch Paper Goods (1101 Mulberry St.) is holding its grand opening from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. The West Bottoms shop will have cocktails featuring nearby Blip Roasters’ coffee, as well as crepes from the Seven Swans Creperie food truck.
You don’t want to rush things after a feast. Consider Drunks and Yoga from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday as a way to ease your way back into the real world following a few days on the couch. You can wear your pajamas or warm-ups for a night of yoga, chicken wings and cocktails. Yogi Robin White leads the class, which starts at 8:30 p.m.
You can wing it when it comes to cooking dinner, but if you want to have a righteous dessert, you need to follow the advice of a professional. Erin Jeanne McDowell certainly qualifies to lead your adventures in baking. You’ve seen her work on Food52 and she has a cookbook, “The Fearless Baker: Simple Secrets for Baking Like a Pro.” McDowell will be at Rainy Day Books (2706 W. 53rd St., Fairway, Kansas) from 12:30 to 2 p.m. this Saturday to sign copies of her book. They’ll also be dishing up a few of the recipes from “The Fearless Baker.”
Ruins Pub (1715 Main St.) is the host for Sunday Night Board Game Tavern from 5 to 10 p.m. Bring your own games or play the ones provided by Level Up Events. Ruins Pub has more than 50 taps, 40 of which are self-serve.
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