Plaza III Steakhouse

Plaza dreary at lunch, anyway

You know how some buildings on the Plaza smell kind of damp and a little moldy--like they barely survived the huge flood of 1977? Plaza III is like that. The ambience is outdated and the lunch offerings have been pathetic in my view. The most unimaginative caesar salad. Lousy pasta. I can't really speak for the high-end steak dishes because I haven't had them. Maybe they do better with them.

I've been called a heretic for never visiting Plaza III once in my 18 years of residence in the Kansas City area. I finally took the leap on a recent Saturday night to try the steak and the experience what local Kansas Citians say is the best around.

I've visited other steak places around the area and country and Plaza III fits the part. Wood paneled walls, dimly lit and cozy environment, USDA prime aged steaks, knowledgeable and attentive servers, and hefty prices. Plaza III stacks up nicely against the likes of Ruth's Chris, Morton's, and Fleming's though brings a uniquely Kansas City experience to accent the meal.

Our server for the evening (Tim) was sharp, witty, and quick to make suggestions. A good steak dinner should start with cocktails then wine with dinner.  Unlike other restaurants that have to ask the bartender if they have Jack Daniels single barrel, there was no question and drinks were only the table in less than three minutes. Plaza III's wine list is both expansive and expensive but nothing out of the ordinary for a steak joint of P3's caliber.

We started the meal with crab cakes - as an East Coaster I'm always concerned with crab cakes options in landlocked Missouri. The cakes were pretty good, a 3/5 on the Baltimore crab cake scale.

The entrees were excellent. The regular prime rib was fork tender and complimented well by a horseradish sauce that wasn't too overpowering. My wife's small strip steak was well cooked and tasty. We shared a side of grilled asparagus that was delectable.  We shared a plate of a tremendous apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert, a fantastic way to the end the meal.

I was impressed with my first visit at this KC landmark. I'll definitely be back to get down on some prime rib again soon.

Sorry Yelpers, this place was OK at best.  Ate on Wed night.

Went based on reviews found on local publications.  Was pretty dissapointed as I was expecting an incredible experience.

Service - Fair
- Ate in bar area with full service.  Waitress was slow to respond and told us she had worked two weeks straight... so?

Apps - Poor
-Wine by the glass - 1 Pinot Noir & 1 Cab - both were so warm we had to put ice in our glasses.  
-Steak soup was like eating gravy.
-Shrip Cocktail came on a giant bed of lettuce (how about ice to keep them cold?).  They had no bite to them and the cocktail sauce was weak.  Asked for straight up horseradish, which was had zero kick... ZERO. The worst.
-Bread - Sourdough, which some may love but I did not apreciate.

Meal - Good
-No Ribeye???  Hmm... I get that you have no bone-in Ribeye or bone-in Fillet, unfortunately, but no Ribeye at all on the menu?  Prior to this dinner, I thought that Ribeye was standard practice in the steakhouse world.
-Filet was good, not great.  As stated before, I was expecting incredible.
-Prime Rib was good.  My real issue was with their special "house creamy horseradish" or whatever they call it.   Can you say Tartar Sauce?  That's the first thing that came to mind.  We all know that a quality horseradish is key with good Prime Rib.

Did speak to the manager.  She offered to cover the apps, which we refused.  We didn't need free food, but rather just be heard.  She left that table so fast after we said no, like she didn't want us to change our minds and she certainly didn't want to continue the discussion.

**Bottom line, this place was just ok.  I will never go back or recommend it, there are simply too many other places in KC that do it much better.