A Combined Effort at Homesteader Cafe

One of the best things about maintaining your own travel blog is being able to select the places you write about. We find that some of our best articles are those that revolve around a great back story. This is why we love doing restaurant articles. There are so many great life stories out there just waiting to be told. A prime example would be Homesteader Cafe located at 100 E. 7th Street in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Megan Kendall and Jeremy Lane work as a team to deliver flavorful dishes, that utilize farm fresh ingredients. This married couple opened their restaurant about a year and a half ago in the old Western Union building. The unique architecture lends a unique vibe to the space, and as Jeremy pointed out, “there are no square corners in the place”. With sky high ceilings, and a wonderful industrial feel, many would be envious to have these digs for their own space. Seating is comfortably spacious, which adds to the open air nature of the place. The restaurant is split between the dining area and the bar. The couple work long hours to satisfy the lunch and dinner crowds on Tuesday through Saturday, and then they add to that brunch offerings on the weekend. They also host a Happy Hour session on their work weekdays from 4 to 6 pm.

Their desire is to deliver locally sourced food in a casual atmosphere, and we just had to check this out for ourselves. We stopped in on a late Saturday morning to test out the brunch menu. Jeremy is the savory expert, so we ordered up a couple of eggs, potatoes, and a half order of biscuits and gravy. Not wanting to leave Megan’s bakery skills out of the mix, we added a couple of pancakes to the order. While we waited for our order to be prepared, we savored some fresh Blip coffee. This small West Bottoms roaster has some of the most delicious varieties in the metro. It was an added treat that they even source the coffee locally. Once the food arrived, we were on a mission to validate their farm fresh claim. First up were the eggs, which were probably some of the freshest I have had in many years. The flavor was so light and delicate that I almost felt like they had been collected that morning. The skin-on red potatoes were a nice alternative to hash browns, and the bacon was crispy without being overcooked.

The biscuits and gravy had a combination of pork and bison meat in the gravy, which added an extra layer to the dish. We had noticed the use of bison throughout their menus, and that had sparked my interest. As a youth, we often dined on bison meat in southeast Kansas. I have always found bison to be leaner, and richer in flavor, as it is almost always grass-fed. Being costlier than beef, it is rarely used in restaurants, which is truly a shame. Needless to say, Jeremy hit it out of the ballpark with this dish. Now truth be told, the idea of ordering the pancakes was also my idea, as I have a weakness for them. Of course, that is only if they are made light and fluffy, which Megan’s does well. The pure maple syrup added just the right sweetness, which when combined with a swig of the coffee took the flavor to another level. By the end of our meal we were already trying to figure out how we could time a visit, which would get us here for dinner. Fortunately, the Homesteader Cafe is only one block off of the streetcar route, so it looks like a First Friday event will give us the perfect opportunity. Now the only question is, when are you going to try it out?