Bluestem

Best food in the Westport area of KC. This place is a gem. The décor, the cocktails, wine list, food selections, desserts, it has it all. Trendy/​hip neighborhood. It’s the perfect place for a first date, special occasion, or for small groups. They also offer Pre Fixe menu options. The food is fresh and tastes amazing.

What an experience. Bluestem is not just a place to eat, it’s an experience to savor. Was every dish my favorite thing? No, but the experience of each dish was delectable. I did a 5 course meal, and we were given 3 gifts from the chef. Many people will look at Bluestem and see it as a meal, but you have to look at what the chef was trying to get you to experience. One can’t really describe the flavors you’ll experience. It’s something that must be experienced. It’s worth the journey, it was almost a 3 hour experience for the table of four of us.
Do yourself a favor, if you have the means, please give yourself the experience of Bluestem. Know that not every dish may be for you, but enjoy the experience of trying those dishes! Thank you Bluestem for the excellent evening and experience. It put a huge smile on my face!

We had an interesting, mixed experience at Bluestem. The restaurant was busy when we arrived and we had no reservation. They were very accommodating in pulling some tables together and squeezing us in, then moving us to a better location when one opened up.
The cocktail and liquor list is interesting and great. We sampled several offerings and loved them.
The menu is also interesting, though in several instances, maybe a little over the top creative, i.e., some of the food combinations seem like they are forced. I read through each entrée and each seemed to have stuff I love combined with stuff I don’t really like, but I acknowledge a lot of that is just personal taste.
I had the hangar steak, and it was fantastic.
The smirch on our evening was our server. Out of the five in our party, I was probably the least put off. She made a good recommendation to me and I thought her pacing was very good. But she was at the very least distant. Others in my party called her «cold» and «rude». Her attitude often became the main topic of conversation at our table. The dessert chef was also very rude to one of the members of our party.
So definitely go for the cocktails and food, and hope that the service is several clicks higher than we received.

Bottom line up front: Everything that can be ingested here tastes amazing.
Bluestem is the kind of cozy place that I’m so glad is a big part of the culinary scene in Kansas City. You combine great chefs with great mixologists with great desserts and you just cannot go wrong.
I’ve been here a few times, once for breakfast years ago and recently for a KC Restaurant Week dinner. I’ve lounged in the amazing shared-​building lounge, but that actually has an entirely different Unilocal page so I’ll keep this about the eastern half of the building for this review.
The atmosphere is non-​pretentious; you have dates and lively groups in the same setting. The lights are not overly dimmed, nor is there loud music. Come to think of it, I didn’t hear any music.
For KCRW, here’s what I went with to eat and drink:
Starter: Parsnip veloute, a winter soup.
Entrée: Medium-​rare ribeye with spinach, glazed farro and carrots.
Dessert: Green tea custard with ginger crumbles and honey ice cream.
Drink: The Old Square; a perfect winter drink.
Yes, yes, yes, and YES. Everything was top notch. The soup has a blend of whiskey cherries and pecans that sounds odd but made for a complex, wonderful blend of flavors.
The entrée. What more can I say? So good. The farro had all the flavor of a house made gravy at Thanksgiving.
The dessert is not something I’d rush back for, but the honey ice cream made it very good.
And as always, the cocktails here were great. They are up near the top in all of KC in my opinion.

Amazing food & experience. If you’ve ever watched Top Chef, The Taste. You’ll appreciate what you experience here. Definitely not inexpensive dining. Yet, well worth treating yourself. If you do decide to try Blue Stem. Go all out. I tried things I never thought I would, AMAZING!!! Props to the professional chefs. Also, a seasonal menu.
Definitely a top restaurant on my list!

Restaurant week continues! I had the beet salad, salmon, and chocolate dessert with wine pairings– decided to go all out!
I had made a reservation, but when I arrived, my table wasn’t ready. Not a big deal, things happen, so I sat at the bar and ended up staying there to eat dinner on my solo date. It was just easier, but sometimes it is disappointing to always be relegated to the bar area when eating alone. Oh well.
I ordered a cocktail first– I usually don’t order vodka drinks at dinner, but they had so many interesting drinks, and I am so happy I did! I had the currant affair. I can’t find it online now, but it was a delicious vodka and black currant juice (?) drink. Wow! After recently having a couple of ‘burnt’ drinks at higher quality KC restaurants, this was a welcomed surprise. Very good, enough alcohol, but not too much. Also, I saw the two men behind the bar making drinks and they definitely looked like they knew what they were doing.
On to the food… strangely enough (& probably much to the chagrin of former care takers– and mom!), my favorite dish was a beet salad starter. Forgive me for not knowing exactly (you can look it up), but it had goat cheese foam and some sort of seeds on the beets. Texture and flavors all on point.
Main course was the salmon– it was certainly better than that which I had had the night before at another KC restaurant (no names, that’s rude, but you could probably find out from past reviews), but maybe hoping the portion was a bit bigger. The dish was truly just about showcasing the protein and not about anything accompanying it.
For dessert I had the chocolate option– the other choice was a green tea icecream, which I’m fairly certain isn’t on their posted RW menu. It was wonderful, and I was more than happy when the server suggested boxing it up. I had had a drink and a couple glasses of wine, so I was moving pretty slowly!
The server was very kind. I wish I could remember his name to thank him properly (nudge nudge, bluestem staff, figure out and give credit where credit due :)). A couple things that stood out… sometimes as a young woman dining solo, one can be made to feel pretty burdensome or awkward, unfomfortable. I didn’t feel that way, ever. Also, and this takes the cake, my phone was dead, so I was kind of freaking out about a ride home and my server did 2 awesome things– he called a cab for me AND charged my phone a bit. My phone had died during the meal, so wasn’t sure how I was going to get an Über or taxi. I didn’t ever feel like a dummy for having to ask for help (internally, maybe, but not because of anyone else’s actions!).
I’m excited to try the regular menu here and will be back. My meal was pretty spendy with the wine pairings (maybe $ 70ish?), but it was a nice night out with myself. That’s priceless!

Thirty-​seven. That’s how many minutes we were in the restaurant before we had anything other than water in front of us.
I’ll start off by saying that I booked a reservation at Bluestem off of the high ratings on Unilocal.We arrived just in time for our reservation, and stood by the door getting blasted by cold air for 15 minutes while we were told we had to wait for a table to be ready. Sort of odd, since the front dining room was completely empty except for people seated at one table. Don’t believe me? Check out the picture below that I took during all my free time.
The service was decent (once we finally started getting food) but nothing out of the ordinary for a place of this level. I would rate the food as decent… good, not great. The dishes look beautiful and are truly works of art, but are not outstanding when it comes to taste. The best thing I had here was the marinated beet and goat cheese salad.
We were seated at our table and given water and then completely ignored for over 20 minutes. The girl with the bread bypassed us. Tables next to us got their wine while our wine glasses sat on the table empty. We weren’t really sure what to make of it.
The tables are extremely tight. A small female was serving the table next to ours and the tables were so close together that her bottom touched our table top no less than three times during the course of our meal. Ummm… for the price of the food here, can we keep stranger butts off the table, please?
I will say that the ambiance was cool and this is a nice place to take a date as far as décor is concerned. I also liked the fact that the kitchen was open so you could watch the chefs work and plate the food.
Maybe I had high expectations from all of the five star reviews. Maybe I caught them on an off night, I’m not sure. What I do know, is that I’m glad I tried this out during KCRW because it would have been terrible to sit around for almost an hour and then pay full price. Sadly, I believe I’ll have to pass on Bluestem in the future.

What a wonderful experience! No wonder they have such high reviews!
We had the 5 course with wine pairing. (you will not leave hungry)
Plated beautifully and even better tasting I was a happy camper!

We came for dinner on my birthday with high expectations given the James Beard recognition. While the food was good probably wouldn’t rush back.
We all had the 5 course meal and overall were satisfied. Very inventive courses with kind and prompt service. The highlights of the meal was definitely the sea scallop, which was perfectly cooked and very flavorful, along with the beet salad starter. Pork belly also had a nice play on textures.
However we felt a couple of things were a little off:
— Chefs seemed to have heavy hands on the salt. Braised rabbit (served with cappelletti), seared hamachi, and several of the other courses’ sauces were overpowered by salt.
— We felt that dishes were going for too many flavors at once… most had multiple sauces or accoutrements that we didn’t always love. Scallop, while good, came with a savoy cabbage slaw that worked better separately.
— RIbeye was pretty tough/​bland — tasted more like a tenderloin (less fatty/​flavorful).
— Meticulous plating which was for the most part very beautiful, but the lighting in the restaurant was so dim you couldn’t really appreciate it.
— Dessert: Ice creams were amazing. Cakes were forgettable, ate them b/​c they were there.
— Overall, the space feels tight. Pretty décor though.
Worth trying but wasn’t sold.

I have completed the Bluestem trifecta (brunch, bar menu, formal dining) more than once now and I have never been disappointed.
Don’t let the recognition they get deter you from having a causal dinner at the bar. Menu is changing often and they execute everything perfectly. Hamachi crudo is up there with Novel’s and the burger is unbeatable for $ 10. The hanger steak is killer as well. Best cup of $ 5 soup you will ever have. Get a couple big plates or share a few small plates and drink some wine.
The only negative thing I can say is that I think they might not take care of their wine by the glass the way they should after it is opened. Had a bad glass of bordeaux once.
My go-​to for a first date that isn’t going to break the bank.

Spectacular experience. Small portions, but an amazing chance to try foods I would most likely never order. Staff is very friendly. Watching the food prep team was entertaining. Nothing but smiles and all seemed to really enjoy each other and what they were doing. Highly recommend.

Delectable, masterful, precise, thoughtful are all words that describe the ethos of Bluestem. As measured in its ingredients and approach to plating each dish as it is inventive in creating a palatte unlike any other KC restaurant, you will enjoy your meal here. With two rooms, one containing a bar and small tables, and the other an open dining area filled with light from floor to ceiling windows, there is also a classic feeling to this rather small space on Westport road.
To note, Bluestem offers an a la carte menu to order for brunch, but focuses on multi-​course menu pairings for dinner. The bar area offers a separate menu of smaller bites and drinks to enjoy either on their own or prior to dinner in the main dining area. However you dine here, let these chefs, bartenders, and sommeliers have their way with your appetite. Bön apetit!

My fiancée and I ate here for her birthday and we couldn’t have been happier! We both did the five course meal, without wine pairing. Even though we didn’t do the pairing, their sommelier came out to help us choose the perfect bottle for our particular taste.
For the first course, she had the seasonal pumpkin soup which was great (I don’t think this is offered now), while I had the new potato salad which was a fantastic take on what you would imagine as potato salad. Second course was the only one we had that was the same; the house made capelleti and braised rabbit, which we were informed was our servers favorite dish, for good reason as this was one of the most flavorful dishes we’ve ever had. The amuse-​bouche, I believe, was whipped chicken liver with crostini, very delicious little hors d’œuvre.
For the third course, she had the sea scallop and truffle which was fantastic, while I had the yellow tail. The fish was delicious, not particularly my favorite part of the meal, but was definitely the most filling. For the fourth course, she had the venison and I had the ribeye. The venison was great, and the ribeye was perhaps the most flavorful and delicious cuts of meat I have ever had.
For dessert, she had the concord grape and fromage blanc, originally what I had wanted, but as we were trying to get something different, I went with the special that night which was a butters scotch ice cream. I am not one to jump on butter scotch, but this was the most delightful desserts I have ever had, it tasted like Christmas. We had been wanting to come to Bluestem for a while and finally made it out. While it can be pricey, you will not have any reservations as to why you paid that much for dinner; the food, drink, and service are far and beyond the best we’ve had since moving to Kansas City. Bluestem is a winner!

The lounge is great! Especially for dessert. The soufflé is amazing. If you’re kinda hungry though, the hanger steak is really worth the $ 14! It’s huge and comes with a salad and fries. Drinks are pricey but very well crafted. Would be a great end of the night for a date or girls’ night.

Wow.
Truly incredible food and an all around amazing experience. I had the ten course tasting menu with wine pairings, and my two friends opted for the five course options, with larger portions. Each dish was perfectly composed, nuanced and layered with complex flavors that made each bite an adventure. The plating is incredibly beautiful, and lovingly assembled with intricate precision piece by piece creating dishes that can be regarded as true works of art. The wine pairings were perfect compliments to the meal, and managed to elevate each dish even further.
The service is impeccable, personal, and thoughtful. Our server was knowledgeable about every aspect of the food, the choices, and the history of the restaurant and owner. The sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable and had a friendly and happy demeanor. He walked us through a detailed story of each wine’s history, flavor profile and the reasons for the pairing, and through that demonstrated the passion and love he had for his job.
The atmosphere is beautiful, relaxed and intimate. Casual clothes are accepted, and the staff treats everyone with the same level of respect regardless of appearance.
The only possible complaint I can offer about Bluestem is the cost — while absolutely justified for the level of service and quality of offerings, it does prevent me from eating there as often as I would like!

My husband and I came for a 5 course dinner (with wine pairing) for our anniversary. Not sure if they still offer any complimentary goodies like mentioned in other Unilocal reviews — the occasion wasn’t acknowledged by Bluestem.
Despite this, were very impressed with the service and overall attention to detail. We started with the beet and cucumber salad with the green goddess dressing. Incredibly flavorful beets — both raw and cooked. The cucumber was just okay. The whole wheat crumb was a genius addition and added a wonderful crunch and flavor.
We then had the scallop with sweet corn, bread crumb and squash. The flavor of the scallop was very average — slightly undercooked and under seasoned. Not the best scallops I’ve had. The breadcrumb added nothing to the dish and was dry.
After course 1 we had the rabbit pasta dish which was divine. The best course of the 5. (In my opinion the only dish that displayed the quality and prestige of the James Beard award.) Small bites with potent flavor. I would order this a la carte.
Then we had the ribeye with potato, brisket, light foam cheese, and a perfectly cooked baby carrot. I didn’t love this plate as I found the steak to be lacking salt and general flavor. Not the «best» steak I’ve ever had by far. My spouse thought the steak by itself was bland BUT pairing it with the cheese, mushroom, brisket etc. made a world of difference.
Finally we had two different desserts — the savory goat cheese, tomato relish on cracker AND the chocolate cake, strawberry mousse with mint ice cream. The chocolate dessert was divine. The mint ice cream was potent and full of fresh, bright flavor. The savory dessert was okay. I was bummed that the «lavish» (cracker) seemed identical to the cracker offered during the «bread presentation» as it didn’t seem exciting or special. Mistake to get a savory dessert.
At $ 250 out the door I don’t think it was worth every penny. I did leave feeling slightly disappointed that the other courses weren’t as spectacular as the rabbit but that’s okay. With how small the portions were an extra piece of bread would have been nice — but none was offered. I also felt it would have been gracious for them to offer a few selections (instead of just one) from the pastry tray as they were extremely tiny bites.
The service was superb and the meal was timed impeccably. Although pricey, the wine flight was well picked — the best pairings I’ve had with a meal. All in all a good experience. We give it a 4 stars due to an issue with the value.
A random note– I didn’t love having to awkwardly wait to get into the 1 stall unisex restroom. Especially waiting a loooong time for an employee to use the restroom.

Service, wonderful.
Wine selection, wonderful.
Food, wonderful.
Ambiance, wonderful.
Bluestem is the only James Beard award winning restaurant my law school budget will afford me. Five courses of divine cuisine for $ 75? That’s a nice price for such an incredible experience.
3 hours of dining and drinks, and course after course or surprises was wonderful. You will not find any other culinary experience quite like this anywhere else for this price.
As soon as new menu comes out, I will be back!

I cannot say enough good things about this place. Went for the first time recently and had an absolutely wonderful experience.
You can choose between three, five, or ten courses. My group and I all chose the five course option and were very happy with our choice.
The star of the first course was definitely the English pea soup. I was deterred from choosing this as I assumed it would be similar to split pea soup – I was sorely mistaken and regretted not choosing it. It was rich and flavorful – so delicious. Highly recommend this if it is still on the menu.
Also highly recommend the ricotta tortellini with braised rabbit. The rabbit was exceptional – tender and juicy.
I also enjoyed the scallops (perfectly cooked), lamb, and the chocolate semifreddo. Everything was excellent. At the end of the night, the staff came by with a selection of candies/​cookies. Really nice touch, and I looved the pineapple macaroon that was offered.
Bluestem is spendy but worth every cent!

Fantastic dining experience from start to finish! My husband and I chose bluestem for our honeymoon dinner and while the expectations were super high, The staff at Bluestem far exceeded them! We chose the 10 course meal with wine pairing and were
amazed from start to finish. The food was excellent and the wine pairings were perfect. I am not a wine drinker and I thoroughly enjoyed every pairing! Worth every penny. If you are looking for fine dining in Kansas City this is the place to go. Thank you Bluestem for making our honeymoon so memorable!

2015 RESTAURANT WEEK Review
I have been pining for some dining at Bluestem. This pining only increased after Chef Garrelts earned the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest in 2013, but alas my pocketbook does not allow me to dine here just any old time. In comes restaurant week, and as they say in the south, «god bless him” – him being both restaurant week and the bluestem establishment for agreeing to offer this. So I did what any «normal» person would do, and I made my KCRW reservation 3 months ahead of time to ensure I got to try this place.
Restaurant week at Bluestem means you get a 3 course meal for $ 33 which is just a hair over 50% off of their normal pricing (3 course for $ 65). I assume that they have to carefully choose their items to ensure feasibility. I say this to remind the reader that this is a restaurant week review, and it may or may not be representative of their standard menu/​experience.
Their #KCRW menu is not public, so here’s your big reveal (as best I can remember):
First:
Potato Soup, smoked then topped with air puffed crackers (Get this! Don’t even think of ordering that damn salad!)
Roasted cauliflower with greens, speck, and a truffle dressing of some sort
Second:
Salmon with spaetzl, beets, and beet [insert some fancy word for sauce]
Beef Short Rib with toasted grains and kale
Third:
Banana Cake with chocolate topping and a candied walnut
Lemon panna cotta with ginger and (…something else)
**Please note that my remembrance of the menu does not include all the fancy words or intricate details that finished off some of the dishes. Sorry.
The atmosphere is modern and small. The dining room is not overly stuffy, rather it is an open space with high decorative ceilings and comfortable seating. The open floor plan extends to the kitchen so you have a clear view of «where the magic happens,» which I like. As others have said, the seating is cozy.
Unlike previous reviewers, I cannot say I’ve been to French Laundry, Daniel, etc., but I can say I’ve dined at other fine restaurants in KC. Bluestem is obviously fit for the short fine dining list in KC, but honestly I’ve enjoyed meals at the other establishments more. Overall, it was very good. All dishes were well executed. Flavors were good, etc., but few things wowed me or interested my senses as much as they have at other places. The only exception to this was the potato soup. It was so delicious, creamy, flavorful, and the smoked detail was a delightful touch. I’m still kicking myself for ordering the salad instead of the soup. Amateur.
Drinks– We had the Gentleman cocktail which was a bourbon coffee drink. It was good – more coffee than bourbon, but a nice way to get your uppers and downers in one fell swoop. They have a good cocktail list with several interesting choices. I’m sure you won’t go wrong there.
The service was 5 star quality. Servers were attentive and covered each other’s tables to ensure everything was handled smoothly and quickly. Every dish came out with nice timing and looked beautiful. The servers explained every item and happily answered questions. In short, they were on point and approachable – well oiled machines that did not come off as stuffy or dismissive to their house full of KCRW diners.
I’m proud and happy to have a place like Bluestem in KC. I’m happy for their success and accolades. For me, it was not a home run. Without a lottery win, I doubt I will return for their full dinner service, because at their price point I want more wowing. I will however definitely return for brunch, the lounge, and continue to frequent the Garrelts’ other establishment-​Rye.

We were excited, not just because of the trip to Kansas City or the fancy hotel or the formal attire or the excellent food, but all of these things. Because we could look across the table and see someone else that can gush at the idea of a foie gras flan, incomprehensibly rich, smooth, and paired with caramel and apples that shouldn’t make any sense while early in the throes of a meal that hasn’t seen this many courses since Escoffier’s era.
The hours ticked by and we ate our way through almost every conceivable animal that crawled, flew, or swam, we moved from more adventurous preparations (the cauliflower on the walleye dish) to less (the potatoes on the strip loin), though there was rarely a lapse in cooking or appropriateness. A thick and bitter sauce for a farro verde was the only memorable misstep, but it was soon forgotten as we moved on to the next course. The plates continued to pass in front of us, linger, and then be removed, cleaned. We lost track of which course we were on, and pondered what possible protein could be the feature of the next dish.
And then it was over. Two more dessert courses and an espresso later and we left, punch-​drunk, actual-​drunk, and silently ranking how highly this meal will rank on our best-​of list, not just because it was exceptionally, mind-​bendingly good at times, but we shared the experience between the two of us.

Unique tastes with a course-​based pre fixe menu.