I was checking into my hotel near the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City during my last business trip of the year for 2019 when I happened to look across the street at a place I hadn't noticed before. I asked the guy at the front desk what was across the street with all the beer signs in the windows. He said, "Oh, that's the Streetcar Grille." I told him that I was sort of looking for a place to watch some basketball that night and maybe grab a bite to eat. "Oh, yes sir," he replied. "They've got televisions and good food. The club sandwich is outstanding." After getting settled in my room, I headed over across the street to the Streetcar Grille & Tavern. (see map)
Now, I had stayed at that hotel earlier in the year, but the reason I never noticed the Streetcar Grille before was because I was there in May and it didn't open until July. And the reason why it's called the Streetcar Grille & Tavern is because the KC Streetcar has traveled a 2 mile-long course up and down Main Street since 2016. Managing partner Kurt Oliver noticed the growth along Main Street after the streetcar started running and a number of hotels that had started to pop up in the area. A space opened at the corner of 16th and Main that was the ground floor of a parking garage for a nearby hotel and Oliver and his partner took the spot over.
Oliver wanted to project an old time feeling in the place. He decorated the space with historical pictures of downtown Kansas City - complete with pictures of old street cars - and was able to procure vintage beer signs from some of the breweries he would serve at the restaurant. And as a nod to the streetcars that run past his new pub from downtown Kansas City to Union Station, Oliver named his place Streetcar Grille & Tavern.
It was a cold night, but since it was right across the street from the hotel I didn't even bother to wear my coat. (see map) It was a slow night at the restaurant - but when nothing is going on in downtown Kansas City through the week, I've noticed that every place is pretty slow. The dining room at Streetcar Grille had an eerie glow to it enhanced by the dozens of beer signs and the 18 flatscreen televisions that are hung on the wall throughout the place.
I ended up taking a seat at the bar and was greeted by a convivial bartender who asked if I wanted a food menu when I sat down. I asked him if he could get the Iowa basketball game on one of the televisions behind the bar and he said, "Oh! An Iowa fan! Are you from Iowa?" I told him that I was and he said that he was a native of Clear Lake in the far northern reaches of the state. He told me that he grew up an Iowa fan, but went to Iowa State to study hospitality management. "One of the bosses here went to Iowa State, too. I worked with him at a couple other places and when he came here to open this place up, he asked me if I wanted a job." After all pleasantries were swapped, I ordered up a pint of the Boulevard pale ale which is made just down the way from the Streetcar Grille.
The menu was decidedly upscale compared to other sports bars I've visited in the past. The appetizers pretty much proved that with items such as mixed nuts glazed with a spicy agave seasoning, a charcuterie plate, seared ahi tuna lettuce wraps, and tater tots stuffed with smoked gouda and jalapeños served with a bacon aioli. They had different variations of mac & cheese on the menu, as well entrees such as a salmon filet with a chili-sesame glaze, pan-seared jalapeño-mango chicken breasts, and chicken piccata. Streetcar Grille & Tavern also had a number of unique burgers and sandwiches on the menu.
I thought about getting one of the burgers, but I'd had a burger the day before with my wife at lunch. So, it was down to getting a sandwich that evening. The Conductors Club Sandwich is the one that the guy at the front desk suggested I get. It came with smoked turkey, ham and pepper bacon for the meats with the usual lettuce, tomato and mayo, all served on a grilled sour dough bread. It sounded just all right to me, but a couple other sandwiches were talking more directly to me including the roast beef sandwich with cheddar cheese and a horseradish-chive topping.
But in the long-run, I decided upon the reuben sandwich. It featured house-made corned beef that was chopped up, topped with pepper jack cheese and a poblano-enhanced sauerkraut. Of course, Russian dressing finished it off, and it all came on toasted marble rye bread. A side of fries were served in a metal cup lined with parchment paper.
The reuben was actually pretty good. I didn't get much of a spicy taste out of the poblano sauerkraut or the pepper jack cheese. But there was still a surprising "snap" on the tongue with each bite. The corned beef was piled high in the sandwich and it was very good and very tender. It was a messy sandwich with the cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing oozing out with each bite. But they had a sufficient amount of napkins for me to use to try and keep clean.
I contemplated going back to the Streetcar Grille the next evening, but I ended up walking up the street to another place just a couple blocks away. I liked everything about the Streetcar Grille & Tavern - the atmosphere, the service, the large number of televisions, the beer selection and, of course, the very good reuben sandwich. As business picks up in Kansas City and I stay downtown because it's centrally located for me to get around to my accounts around the city, I have a feeling that I'll be spending a few more nights at the Streetcar Grille.
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