Kelly Manning, owner of the new suburban hot spot Tavern in the Village, is a local in nearly every meaningful sense of the word. (Located at 3901 Prairie Lane, Prairie Village, KS 66208, (913) 529-2229) He grew up within a couple miles of the Prairie Village restaurant he opened several months ago, attended Pembroke Hill High School, and garnered a feel for the restaurant business under the wings of the Kansas City-rooted PB & J folks. Having worked his way up the ladder of the Morton’s Steakhouse chain for 14 years, he came home to demonstrate the fruits of his years of restaurant labor to his old neighborhood. There is something gratifying to Midwesterners — Kansas Citians, particularly — when one of their own returns home to make a favorable mark on his community of origin. And Manning has done just that.
Prairie Villagers, and Kansas Citians in a broader sense, have pined for a place like Tavern in the Village for some time: a comfortable, locally owned spot where folks can eat well-prepared food made with solid ingredients at reasonable prices. Since he built it (or, at least, opened it — in the space that was once an Applebee’s), they have come. Our group of four had a 6 p.m. reservation, but heard the hostess tell another group of four that wandered in sans reservation that the wait was an hour.
The décor, menu and overall “feel” of the place are somewhat reminiscent of the Fairway Grill, a beloved spot just off Shawnee Mission Parkway that closed a number of years back. The bar area (with large screen TV’s) takes up about half of the place, and the dining room the other half. Attractive art adorns the soft, green-shaded walls. Servers are generally enthusiastic and helpful, and adequately pace meals to optimize the restaurant’s cozy, neighborhood dynamic. There is an energetic buzz about the place, though the dimmed lighting keeps the mood refined. At one table, an ostensible group of Johnson County soccer moms celebrating ladies’ night out sipped cosmopolitan drinks, conversed loudly and made grandiose hand gestures for emphasis. At another table, a Mit Romney clone wore a serious expression and appeared to talk business with and/or solicit campaign donations from another “suit.”
There is nothing extraordinarily inventive about the menu, nor are there a broad array of choices. At some point, the kitchen might do well to spread its wings just a bit. But for now, the focus is on quality ingredients and careful preparation and execution. We sampled two appetizers that epitomized this particular approach. The Fajita Steak Sliders ($9) featured excellent ancho-seared tenderloin, cooked perfectly with roasted red pepper and just a touch of creamy cheese sauce. Simple, but effective. We particularly enjoyed the Spicy Ahi “Tacos” ($11), slices of rare Ahi tuna with a wonderful grill flavor and a spicy jolt, served atop bibb lettuce cups, with a sweet and sour slaw to offset the spiciness of the tuna. Avocado and fresh jalapenos rested atop the tacos, for good measure.
We tried two of the three salads that could be ordered as accompaniments to meals ($3, $7 for full salad). The Tavern Salad was an interesting offering with an excellent house-made rosemary basil vinaigrette dressing. It included a blend of spring greens, feta cheese, sun-dried cranberries and the crunch of roasted pumpkin seeds. The Traditional Caesar Salad was a quality rendition, with a well-made, mustardy Caesar dressing and shaved parmesan. The rolls served alongside the salads were not commensurate with the quality of the salads and the other offerings — rather dry and bland, and not warmed.
Some food folks operate with a mental line-up of certain, bellwether dishes that can be sampled — for comparative purposes — from restaurant-to restaurant. One such dish, for me, is a basic, roasted chicken (on the bone) — the quality of which is wholly rooted in effective seasoning and cooking technique. Tavern’s ½ Rotisserie Chicken ($13) came with the skin crispy on the outside, and the chicken moist and flavorful on the inside. The half bird was served atop decent mashed potatoes and al dente lemon pepper green beans.
Another bellwether is a restaurant’s burger. The Tavern Burger ($9), which a friend ordered without the bacon that comes standard, was evidently ground from superior beef — denoted “our own recipe” on the menu.
Though ordered (and served) well done, the meat in the thick burger remained flavorful and juicy. The well-seasoned fries served alongside were crispy, and an excellent accompaniment to the burger. Another friend went in another sandwich direction — opting for the Portobello Melt ($9), also served with the superior fries. The sandwich included slices of the tender and meaty mushrooms, which blended beautifully with the roasted red pepper and melted brie served on top.
The Penne Pasta ($12) my wife ordered did not sound especially exciting, but was well-executed, with a nice blend of ingredients — including fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, Kalamata olives, asparagus, feta cheese and fresh lemon wheels, with a subtle, oil-based sauce. The lemon wheels looked to me like yellow summer squash, leaving me with one surprisingly sour bite of the otherwise solid dish.
After such a hearty meal, I might have been inclined to skip dessert; but we were with a friend who shuddered at the idea. As such, we tried the Tavern Brownie Tower ($7), a decadent dessert with a mélange of sweet, rich flavors: chocolate, peanut butter and caramel, with vanilla ice cream. We also loved the simple but terrific Cinnamon Sugarcoated Donuts ($5), warm, crescent-shaped pastries on a narrow, chocolate zig-zagged plate served with a creamy custard dipping sauce.
Welcome home, indeed.
Out of Four Stars
Food: ***½
Atmosphere: ***½
Service: ***½