Bluestem Restaurant, Kansas City

Husband-wife team Colby and Megan Garrelts met in Chicago at the five-star, five-diamond TRU. After traveling to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the culinary duo opened Bluestem Restaurant, using it as launch pad for their explorations into progressive American cuisine. Locally grown produce joins with sustainable seafood and meat in their recipes—lauded by the James Beard Foundation and Zagat. And the menu makes every dinner a multi-course story, where smoked lamb belly with barbecue spice precedes beef with fermented grains and whipped bone marrow, before themed desserts pair strawberries with angel-food cake for a perfect ending.

In Bluestem's lounge, guests sink into a more relaxed dining environment, sampling such plates as hanger steak frites and garlic pomme frites while sipping wines and craft cocktails. Whether perched in the lounge, at the hardwood bar, or at an ironed tablecloth, simple elegance abounds. Small table lamps cast warm, homey glows or exposed brick walls that allow diners to work on perfecting their chewing technique.