BRGR

BRGR - Power & Light
Address:  11 E 14th Street Kansas City MO 64105
Phone:  816-221-BRGR (2747)
Price: $
Reservations:  Yes (OpenTable)
Website:  http://brgrkitchen.com/pl.php 

Located in the KC Power & Light District across the street from the movie theatre, BRGR provides a great place to get a burger - and a gourmet one at that!  We've dined here multiple times and have enjoyed trying different burgers and tastes each time we dine. There's always something that catches our eyes.  We both enjoy their spicy burgers, but also like the salmon, chicken, and other options they provide.  The menu hasn't changed since we first went, but when something works, why try to fix it?!?

We typically dine at Bristol before a show at the KCREP in P&L, but this time was a new musical and didn't feel as "formal" of a theatre experience, so we toned down our dinner option and went to BRBR.  Tim arrived 10 minutes early for the reservation, but was seated immediately.  Our server stopped by to fill the water and didn't return until after Paul arrived (about 5 minutes after our reservation time).  It was a little odd to not check back for a drink or appetizer order, but we went with it.  For our appetizer, we started with the Chile Fondue.  It is served with pretzels and homemade tortilla chips which both were delicious (and could've better been served with a spicy mustard and salsa to dip into).  The fondue was thick, under seasoned, and left an odd aftertaste in our mouths.  Both of us were not impressed with this appetizer.  On a side note, we shouldn't have even gotten it because we forgot how large the serving sizes were of the rest of the food we were ordering!

Drinks were the Crosstown - absolutely delicious and flavorful.  Fresh cucumber and mint for a nice summery flavor.  However, it took well over 15 minutes to get a drink ordered and to the table, which was ridiculous.  The bar was getting busier, but it wasn't that busy! There was only 1 bartender & the female manager had to get behind the bar to make drinks for patrons in the restaurant, but still, it shouldn't be that hard to staff the restaurant to ensure drinks are ordered and delivered in a timely manner.  Case in point - Tim ordered a drink halfway through the meal.  It arrived when we were finishing our meals and getting ready to pack up the leftovers.  That's an issue.

Service was dismal.  Our server (as stated before) rarely came to the table to check on us, was hard to locate in the restaurant when we were wanting something, and we found ourselves simply waiting on him to figure out we were ready to speak to him.  Part of it was not his fault (time for drinks, since he's at the whim of the bar), but for our 1.5 hour dinner, we probably saw him a grand total of 5 times - filling water twice, take our order, deliver our food/drink, bring leftover supplies, & deliver our check.  You would think this would be okay, but we felt a bit abandoned and uncomfortable with him.  He did get it right when he noticed our dipping sauces were not all delivered and he brought those out, so kudos to him.  We've never had an issue with service before this experience, and actually have had some of the best service we've received at BRGR, so I would say this is not a normal thing for them.

For dinner, Tim had the C2 burger, chicken and chicken Andouille sausage - quite the spicy kick - while Paul had the Porchetta burger (pulled pork).  We shared the Combo of sides with truffle tator tots, sweet potato fries, and onion rings with all the dipping sauces.  The C2 burger was well prepared, spicy, and delicious while the Porchetta burger seemed to be lacking in size but Paul said it had a good flavor.  On a side note, since we're foodies, it is advertised to have arugula on the sandwich, but it was clearly not arugula - more like mixed greens (with arugula in them).  Not a big issue, but it wasn't as advertised.  Although we enjoyed these dinner options, we've had better meals from the menu.  The best part of the night's dining experience was the combo of sides.  It's the only way to go.  Absolutely delicious indulgence of wonderful childhood treats done up in a grown-up way.

So, our recommendation is to go to BRGR.  It's a unique little burger joint in the P&L district that serves some darn good food & drink.  We really don't think you'll be disappointed.

C2

Combo of Sides

Porchetta