FOOD

EMILY AND STEWART LANE

A Room of Their Own.

For this spring edition of Today Kansas City, we are delighted to share our take on a restaurant which seems to embody much of what this season means to Midwesterners. The Antler Room breathes new life into its dishes, and shows you how something simple or familiar can be elevated to an experience that stays at the front of your memory for months.

EL: The Antler Room, located in the Hospital Hill area of Kansas City, has a name that harkens back to 1930s when The Antlers Club, which was part of the Pendergastera saloons, reigned supreme in the West Bottoms. Needless to say, it had quite a seedy underbelly. But don’t let that history fool you. Chef Nicholas Goellner and his wife, Leslie, have taken years of travel and culinary experience to create a casually elegant dining experience that has made a permanent mark on Kansas City’s culinary scene.

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MAINE SCALLOPS, RUTABAGA SCHNITZEL, RED-EYE AIOLI, PROSCIUTTO, DULSE, LEMON

SL: The menu sets the mood for the minimaliststyle cuisine. Chef Nicholas Goellner transforms basic ingredients into masterpieces. The humble cauliflower is elevated with an anchovy chili oil rub and then a quick deep fry to create a crisp outside and tender inside, plated with a velvety squash sauce, and finished tart pickled beets to cut the rich flavors. Chef even shows that you don’t need meat to create a rich pasta. His housecrafted red-and-white-striped pappardelle is sauced with braised endive, which has a slight bitterness that is broken by thin ribbons of candied orange peel and creamy raw sheep-milk cheese. The winter squash tortelloni sit in a dark and flavorful brodo, while small cubes of lardo, melt in your mouth, adding a pleasant unctuousness to the vegetable pasta.

EL: The beauty of those pastas is a nod to the aesthetic of the restaurant itself. The ambiance at The Antler Room contributes to the whole experience in a way that improves each dish carefully brought to your table. The dining room seats only 32 guests, and the coziness of the space makes you lean in, listen closely, and dine intimately. Unfinished wood, garage doors as windows, and earthenware serving pieces all create a warm and inviting environment.

SL: Chef Nicholas’ care and use of his ingredients shine in his two preparations of duck. He roasts the entire duck breast shield and brings it sizzling to your table. The breast is carved and served with paper-thin scallion crepes, honey, and cucumbers. He also confits the legs and thighs to create another amazing pasta with rigatoni, spicy mustard greens, tart apple, and lardo.

EL: And of course, we have to talk about the desserts, which much like every other item on the menu are plated so spectacularly you hardly want to disrupt the beauty of what you’re about to enjoy.

SL: We indulged in the Mango Kulfi, a traditional Indian ice cream made with sweetened condensed milk and mango puree. The texture was like nothing we have ever had, dense but silky smooth and bursting with tropical flavors. A little coconut yogurt and a generous dusting of crushed pistachios create the perfect combination of textures and harmonious flavors.

EL: In autumn 2017, Bon Appétit named The Antler Room one of 50 finalists for “Best New U.S. Restaurant.” Without question, exciting things are happening here, and with an ever-changing menu there’s always an occasion for a lovely evening at this new gem for Kansas City. .

The Antler Room, located at 2506 Holmes, is open Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended.