Jack Gage American Tavern near the Plaza

Jack Gage American Tavern
5031 Main St
Kansas City, MO
Website


HOW I FOUND IT:  We had no clue where we wanted to go for dinner (typical) so I logged onto Urban Spoon's website, and this place popped up.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ***):  This is really a mixed bag.  The outside of the building is rather unassuming, not giving any hints as to what you might find.  The interior was a lot nicer than I expected.  I guess when I hear "tavern" I assume old hardwood floors and wooden stools everywhere.  I kind of wish they had gone that route, as the carpeted floors and uncomfortable booths aren't exactly American Tavern.  The backdrop for the bar, some nice antique placards for Mr. Gage, boxing promoter, were very cool, but just seemed out of place with the rest of the decor, even though the walls are lined with old timey boxing photographs.  The Jack Gage signs should set the scene for the whole restaurant, with their Coney Island attitude, but instead the place just kind of seemed uninspired.  We asked our server who Jack Gage was, and basically the story is that the owner bought these signs at auction and decided to model his new restaurant/bar after them.  We were hoping for even a made-up tale about the incredible Jack Gage, great-grandfather of the owner, who always wanted to open a bar, or some such niceties.  Oh well.

FOOD (SCORE: ***1/2):  We started off with the portabella fries, which, as you may have guessed, were sliced portabellas that were breaded and fried, served with "come back" dressing, which reminds me of Pizza Shoppe's "pink stuff", a mixture of ketchup, mayo, and spices that is way tastier than it rightfully should be.  There were many other appetizers that caught my eye, like the "Shrimp and Smoked Gouda Grit Cake", or the fried catfish.  But there was other eatin to be done!

I chose the chicken and waffles, after hearing great things via the internets.  And I was not disappointed.  Two large chicken breasts (the menu says "boneless", but they were actually airline breasts, which still have the first wing joint attached.  It didn't bug me, but I know it would bug my wife, who hates chicken on the bone), crispy but not too heavily breaded, juicy on the inside.  These two babies sat on top of a big ol' waffle, and the whole thing was covered in a sticky sweet bourbon maple glaze.  I really liked the syrup, but I think some might find the bourbon to be a bit overpowering.

Cyndi got the crab mac n' cheese, another internet favorite.  We were reluctant to check it out, after the lackluster lobster mac I had at Bristol.  Any fears were dashed, however, when she received a giant casserole dish filled with what seemed to be equal parts crab and mac n' cheese.  It was decadent, rich, crabby, and wonderful.  The only downside?  It's a big-ass bowl of mac!  I love it as much as the next person, but I kinda wish it was offered as a side instead of an entree, because there's really only so much mac n'  cheese you can scarf, no matter how good it is.

My friend Travis, who joined us, was torn.  He liked the sound of the garlic and chile rubbed ribeye steak, but wanted a strip steak instead of a ribeye.  He asked our waiter if this was possible, and his wish was granted.  The steak was cooked nicely, and the rub was actually pretty flavorful (I'm normally a fan of plain old salt and pepper when it comes to steak).

Even though we were already stuffed to the bursting point, we had to try the banana-raisin bread pudding.  It was served with a sweet banana and rum sauce and had me addicted from the first bite.  It was big enough that the three of us were able to share, which was nice.  What wasn't nice was that the banana bread pudding was the final nail in my stomach's coffin, and once I got home and sat on my couch I wanted to die.  Not that this had anything to do with the quality of the food, I just wanted you all to know that I ate until I hurt myself.  Yay me.

SERVICE (SCORE: ***1/2):  Our server was polite and answered any questions we had, and never left us hanging with empty drinks.  However, he just wasn't very personable or enthusiastic about anything.  Which is odd for a fledgling hotspot like this place seemed to be.

VALUE (SCORE: ***1/2):  I thought the food was well priced for the quality and uniqueness of the menu.  What took some stars away from this category was the drinks.  To me, a tavern should have some good priced beer.  It's a no brainer.  But my Boulevard Pale Ales were 5 bucks a pop.  In fact, I think even the bottle swill like Bud Light was 4.50 or 5 bucks, if memory serves me.  A real bummer if you're lookin for a place to eat and stick around for some drinks.

OVERALL (SCORE: ***1/2):  Jack Gage American Tavern was a nice change of pace for us, as it's menu is simpler and better priced than most of what you'll find on or near the plaza.  The food was the high point, being a nice, comforting, almost 'soul food' menu; but the experience was dragged down at times by the ho-hum attitude of our server and the overpriced beer.  The atmosphere and decor could have been great, given the Jack Gage memorabilia, but instead it just feels like they said, "well, let's just build a place and we'll find somewhere to hang these freakin things".  A great concept that fell a little short in execution.  Hey, welcome to Kansas City dining!