Cooper’s Hawk Opens on the Plaza
It seems like forever ago the announcement was made that a winery-slash-eatery would be moving into the old 810 Sports Zone space on the Country Club Plaza. So long, in fact, that when a wedding-like, formal invitation came by mail, I nearly tossed it in the trash not recognizing the name.
After a few days sitting on the kitchen counter (typical Missy style, by the way), I examined the address and realized this was the new restaurant that had been working to renovate the space for several months. The invite was for a pre-opening party, full of food and wine sampling. How could I miss it?!
Cooper’s Hawk website boasts 13 total locations, some not yet open. The idea seems to be an upscale and very large menu paired with a broad selection of the Cooper’s Hawk label wines.
Saturday night, the place was packed with both staff and patrons. We were welcomed nearly half-a-dozen times before we made it to the stairway leading to the dining room.
The lower level has the feel of fine foods store. A few tasting bars stocked full of wine are available for sampling, and the opposite walls feature shelves full of wine bottles and non-perishable food items.
We found a table, ordered a couple glasses of white and got in line for the food. A long black-draped table showed off several Cooper’s Hawk dishes in shiny chaffing dishes. There was parmesan-crusted chicken, short ribs, pork tenderloin, shrimp and Caesar salad.
My favorite was the Maple, Mustard & Pretzel-Crusted Pork Medallions. The deep and slightly sweet flavor was fantastic, and the meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork. I will be having that again.
Later we moved to the bar to try out some of the reds. The options were almost endless. I tasted six or more varietals and blends and found a favorite in the petite syrah.
This restaurant is big. It appears to have lots of seats to fill, and we’ll see in the coming months how Kansas City takes to this new concept. I look forward to experiencing the full menu with some friends very soon.
