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Photo: www.grinderspizza.com.
Laying claim to land in both Missouri and Kansas, Kansas City might conjure up thoughts of boring grasslands or Midwestern conservatism. But with nearly a half million residents in the Missouri side's city limits alone (making it the Show Me State's largest city), Kansas City is certainly more metropolis than cornfield. And at Grinders, patrons can expect a less-than-conservative draft selection and some not-so-Midwestern fare.
Just under five years ago, Grinders opened with the plan to offer residents of KC a restaurant/bar with an East coast flair. Both owners were from Pennsylvania (one from Philadelphia, one from Pittsburgh) and they planned to serve up cheesesteaks and New York-style pizza.
"We wanted a place that would be friendly to everybody that came in," says owner Anton Kotar. "No class barriers." Even money wasn't an obstacle: "If we could just make it break even, we'd be happy."
Kotar and his partner had never run a restaurant. "He's an artist by trade and I'm a contractor," Kotar admits, retelling the story of their troublesome first few months. But from the brink of going out of business, they turned Grinders into one of Kansas City's most popular destinations.
Read more about Grinders and see the current draft list after the jump...
Just under five years ago, Grinders opened with the plan to offer residents of KC a restaurant/bar with an East coast flair. Both owners were from Pennsylvania (one from Philadelphia, one from Pittsburgh) and they planned to serve up cheesesteaks and New York-style pizza.
"We wanted a place that would be friendly to everybody that came in," says owner Anton Kotar. "No class barriers." Even money wasn't an obstacle: "If we could just make it break even, we'd be happy."
Kotar and his partner had never run a restaurant. "He's an artist by trade and I'm a contractor," Kotar admits, retelling the story of their troublesome first few months. But from the brink of going out of business, they turned Grinders into one of Kansas City's most popular destinations.
Read more about Grinders and see the current draft list after the jump...
And of course, beer is one of the keys to a proper Grinders experience. "I sell a lot of Nanny Light and Bud Light," says Kotar describing an average night at Crossroads. "Ten out of our twenty-two taps pay the bills, but I'm interested in the one or two kegs you can't find anywhere else."
That's why Grinders continues to request one-off kegs from distributors and hosts affordable beer dinners. "It's gotta be affordable," Kotar insists. "$90 beer dinners aren't in anybody's future here."
People outside of the Kansas City area might be surprised by the city's beer scene. Though the economy has driven some of the smaller micros out of business, Boulevard Brewing continues to thrive. Their new facilities are one of the largest American-owned breweries in the country, keeping alive the tradition of big Midwestern brewers, but with a new craft angle that beer geeks can get behind.
Drinkers can always find something from Boulevard at Grinders. Kotar sums it up simply: "We sell a lot of beer out of here."
- Bud Light
- Boulevard Pale Ale
- Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
- Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
- New Belgium Hoptober
- Natural Light
- Schlafly Oatmeal Stout
- Boddingtons Pub Ale
- Unibroue Blanche de Chambly
- Unibroue Maudite
- Unibroue Ephimere
- Delerium Tremens
- New Belgium Dandylion Ale
- Hoegaarden
- Flying Monkey Amber Ale
- Breckenridge Agave Wheat
- Schlafly American Pale Ale
- Boulevard Tank 7
- Boulevard Singlewide India Pale Ale
- Breckenridge Autumn Ale
- Arcadia India Pale Ale
- Boulevard Bob's 47
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10-15-2009 @5:05PM booyahku said... Heading here for a concert tomorrow! And one of the best beer selections in town.
Definitely worth checking out if anyone is in the area.
Stretch (Chef of some sort) was recently on Guy Fieri's show on FoodTV, great guy and great food!
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10-16-2009 @8:29AM Bill said... Ha! Timely article.....I'll be there tonight for dinner before the show at the stage behind Grinders.
Great pizza and incredible beer selection
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