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 The ambience is outdated and the lunch offerings have been pathetic in my view.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. Â 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. Â 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. Â Ate on Wed night.
Went based on reviews found on local publications. Â Was pretty dissapointed as I was expecting an incredible experience.
Service - Fair
- Ate in bar area with full service. Â 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. Â
-Steak soup was like eating gravy.
-Shrip Cocktail came on a giant bed of lettuce (how about ice to keep them cold?). Â They had no bite to them and the cocktail sauce was weak. Â 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??? Â Hmm... I get that you have no bone-in Ribeye or bone-in Fillet, unfortunately, but no Ribeye at all on the menu? Â Prior to this dinner, I thought that Ribeye was standard practice in the steakhouse world.
-Filet was good, not great. Â As stated before, I was expecting incredible.
-Prime Rib was good. Â My real issue was with their special "house creamy horseradish" or whatever they call it. Â Can you say Tartar Sauce? Â That's the first thing that came to mind. Â We all know that a quality horseradish is key with good Prime Rib.
Did speak to the manager. Â She offered to cover the apps, which we refused. Â We didn't need free food, but rather just be heard. Â 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. Â I will never go back or recommend it, there are simply too many other places in KC that do it much better.
Gosh, I forgot how good this place was.... Â Had a Groupon, grabbed some friends, drove in a blizzard - and all for fantastic wine, service and beef. Â No longer being a big red meat eater, I simply couldn't resist the Tenderloin Oscar. Â 2 succulant 4 oz filets topped with shrimp and bernaise sauce. Â Of course that was after a spinach salad with a warm bacon dressing. Â Yes I was full after the salad but had to eat one of the filets and it was like heaven in my mouth. Â The rest of the crew - one ordered the lobster, one ordered the porterhouse and one order..i can't remember. Â We had sides of asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes and the lyonnaise potatoes. Â I can tell you I was the only one who took leftovers (1 filet).
Review Source:For Restaurant Week, my fiancee and another couple that we are friends with decided to give Plaza III a try, and what a great decision it was! Originally we were going to Capital Grill, but when their only available reservation was at 3 in the afternoon we decided that it was not for us. Granted, to start off with we were a little bit upset about our reservation that fell through, but that was a distant memory as soon as we began our meal. Â I loved the veggies and dip that are offered to start off with (actually eating radishes right now oddly enough) and the steak soup was SO good. My filet was cooked perfectly, almost moo-ing, just how I like it and the asparagus and roasted potatoes were so good. However, I will say that the portions seemed a bit small. This may have been because of the Restaurant week promotion, so I won't knock them for that. To end our meal we had the chocolate truffle cake which can be summed up in two words... Whoa Baby (a la DJ and Kimmey on Full House). While the food was wonderful, the reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was a combination of service and atmosphere. I felt that the decor was grossly outdated and had a real "at grandma's house" type feel to it, not my thing. Our server was friendly, but was also sparse... too sparse, so much so to a point that we were left with empty drinks for nearly 10 minutes and I was never even offered a refill on my soda. Overall these two issues are not insurmountable, but they could have been better.
Review Source:Plaza III, situated in the cute and well known in the Country Club area of town, delivers a right-down-the-middle steakhouse experience.
The wine list is interesting, and as expected very Cabernet-heavy, but they have some interesting selections and are knowledgeable. Â The prices for the wine are pretty normal at the lower end, but the markup seem to go down as you went up in price. Â We had a delicious bottle to go with our steak. Â For the two of us, we chose the porterhouse (which came in probably around mid 20-ounces), the sauteed mushrooms and lyonnaise potatoes. Â The sides were excellent and family-style size. Â The steak, however, was just a bit disappointing. Â The texture was fantastic and the filet side was quite tender, however there wasn't much punch to the cut overall. Â There was very limited "crust" or "char" on the outside of the steak, and while cooked perfectly, I didn't find myself hunting for every last morsel like I sometimes will. Â Also, isn't the entree cart just a bit dated as a concept? Â I'm fairly familiar, as I imagine most are, with what steak, salmon, and chicken look like...
Overall, it's just fine and in a great, walk-able location. Â However, maybe there is a better option in KC these days if steak is really your thing?
having been to most of the steakhouses in town, i was excited when for recognition of 10 years at work i was given a free dinner at the Plaza III. Â I looked at the menu online and drooled at the thought of a 50 dollar steak. Â to my chagrin when arriving for dinner that evening we only had 3 entre options, a filet mignon, a chicken something and a salmon something. Â oh boo, no 50 dollar steak. Â it was open bar, so this helped quite a bit, the fact that we were stuck in the basement didn't bother me too much or the old fart singing kareoke frank sinatra songs in the main room. Â when my steak did arrive it was pretty good, but hardly the best i ever had. Â the service was fantastic and the chocolate cake that came out at the end was probably top 5 desserts i've had ever. Â i doubt i'll ever make it back to the plaza III for any reason, mostly because the cheapest thing on the menu is 35 bucks not counting sides and to me, that's about a 5 course meal price. Â i've definitely had better steaks, but maybe if i'd had the 50 dollar one it would have met my expectations a little better.
side note, to the guy yaking in the mens room, just because they have an open bar, doesn't mean drink til ya puke, you're not at the frat house any more ya dick.
With a Groupon, we had the pleasure of trying out a restaurant I had never experienced.  From the moment we entered the front foyer, we were treated as honored guests.  Promptly we were taken to our seat around turns and more turns.  (The Plaza never ceases to amaze me how they take each restaurant or store and create a completely different atmosphere!) The interior design was exquisite and rich with gorgeous dark woods.  I was surprised at how quiet the restaurant was, which allowed for very pleasant conversation between my husband and I.  Upon seating we were offered crudite, which was a nice surprise and very different from other restaurants.  In addition, a loaf of sour dough bread was brought a few moments later with soft butter.  Our server was knowledgeable about the menu, however, when he was stumped about questions regarding wine, he promptly turned us over to the Sommelier, which was very refreshing.  Our Sommelier seemed to have enough experience to promptly suggest a very good wine, which we were very pleased with! David, our server was fun -- lots of fun -- made us feel comfortable and was very attentive.  My husband ordered a lamb chop, which he enjoyed immensely considering  he didn't come up for air until he was finished.  The filet was just superb for me with the sides of grilled asparagus and potato that we shared.  All in all, we really enjoyed our evening.  I told my husband this was a new favorite that I hoped we would visit at least once a year! Great job Plaza III and David our server!
Review Source:Great! Â I had not been to Plaza III in several years -- only because my wife and I don't eat that much red meat any longer. Â However, I was glad I went the other night. Â The service was and the servers were Grade A. Â My steak was the best I've had in many years. And, the salad was to die for. Â If you want a good steak go here and support a local business. I would have given it 5 stars, but the decor could use a little updating.
Review Source:I wanted a local establishment over the chain that I love (Capital Grille). Â I enjoyed it here, but the flavor was just not totally there.
The steak itself was big - a porterhouse. Â I've had bigger, but that's besides the point. Â The steak was flavorful, but it just didn't melt in my mouth. Â I expected more honestly. Â The french fries were great - massive. Â The dinner was started off with a complimentary veggie plate, full of freshly cut carrots and celery - was nice.
Overall, I wouldn't say I wouldn't go back - I just don't plan on visiting KC anytime soon. Â The service was great though.
My dad and I catch a baseball game in a different city each year, and 2012 was Kansas City. Â After leaving the game in the 8th inning on a Saturday night, we were told by several locals that we HAD to go to Plaza III to enjoy a true Kansas City steak. Â We already had reservations at Pierpont's at Union Station for Sunday night, so we figured we would check it out. Â Here's how it went down ...
We arrived for a late meal (9:30 ish) and always grab a drink at the bar to assess the atmosphere. Â This was the best part of the night ... had local beer (Boulevard) on tap, good selection of liquor, and good company. Â The bartender was chatty in a non-annoying way, and was making sure we were having a good time in KC. Â So far so good.
When it was time to go to our table, they transferred our drinks as you would expect. Â In the dining area, it was very quiet, but it was also rather late. Â Also, it was prom night too, so alot of high school kids were enjoying their fancy meal. Â
Our meal dIdn't start off with a bang ... my water glass had major red lipstick stain on it, which was quickly addressed, and we had no bread after requesting it with our drink order. Â No big deal, but it was nearly 10:00 (11:00 based on our internal Charlotte, NC clock), so we were hungry. Â The MAJOR mistake made was overcooking a Kansas City Strip ... how an upscale steakhouse can overcook a steak by two levels (ordered it medium rare and it arrived medium well) is unacceptable. Â I would expect that at Applebee's, but not when you're paying $45 for a steak. Â I'm from the South, so I'm used to being polite and eating overcooked food rather than sending it back, so I dealt with it. Â Surprisingly enough, it still was an enjoyable steak with great flavor despite its temperature, but I'm certain it would have been better at medium rare. Â Other than that, side dishes were great (asparagus and potatoes au gratin), and after dinner coffee was fantastic.
So, to summarize, bar experience was great, food was definitely above average (even though the steak was overcooked), and the service was "acceptable". Â Just in case anyone was wondering, our meal at Pierpont's at Union Station was much better.
My husband says this place was once a jewel of Kansas City but both times I have been here it has been really bad. If I had paid diner prices for my food I woud probably give it 2 stars but 5 star prices for diner food!?
I just had lunch there and my $19 Kansas City strip was the kind of steak I would expect to get from Tom Fooleries down the street and the french fries were cold and soggy with grease. The garden salad was drenched in salad dressing and the lettuce was chopped. The salad was cold like it had been sitting already made in the refrigerator for the last few hours. I feel like if you are going to pay those prices for a salad, it should be fresh. And unless the recipe calls for it, any fine dining establishment rips the lettuce .... period.
Seriously, if you want mediocre food, go to Tom Fooleries down the street and pay dramatically less. And they rip their lettuce!
Gosh, after reading some of the reviews, I have to give the Plaza III some much-deserved LOVE! Â I have been here SEVERAL times, and each time has been a pleasant experience for me and the BF. Â
We always make reservations, and they are generally for 9 PM or so. Â By the time we get there, very few patrons are hanging around, and it's just a nice, old-school steakhouse feel. Â Servers are extremely knowledgeable and have always answered any questions we have had. Â We have hung out at the bar before, too. Â It makes me want to light up a good cigar and puff away with a snifter of brandy. Â JK, I don't do either of those, but the atmosphere makes me think of such. Â
The food:  we always order the same thing and have never had a negative experience.  BF orders the double chicken breast with no seasoning, I order the filet medium rare, and we get loaded baked potatoes.  For dessert, we  have key lime pie.  Our tastes are pretty simple.  This means I do not like sauces, spices, seasonings on steak.  I WANT to taste the pure and simple yumminess of filet.  If I want sauces and trimmings, I will go to a French restaurant.  The filet is always perfectly cooked, in my opinion.  The potato is delicious, and the key lime pie has meringe on it like my mom  used to make.  Heavenly!! Â
The service: Â impeccable, always!! Â I find some of the "bad service" reviews a little hard to swallow. Â This IS one of K.C.'s established steakhouses, and I am sure if management knew of poor service, some people would be out of a job. Â
The price: Â given!! Â If I want cheap steak, I'll go to Applebee's! Â (and I never go there!) Â I am surprised to learn Plaza III even offers Groupons. Â And it makes me laugh just a little to think that people would complain about prices here, as they are typical of what you would pay at any high-end steak place. Â
I have to commend our server (guy with the lambchop sideburns) Â during our Valentine's experience the other night. Â The young couple next to us had THREE credit cards declined to pay for their $200 meal. Â The dude was a member of the USAF and really provided quite a display of undesirable behavior when he loudly f-bombed the server several times for three of his cards being declined. Â He figured it was a conspiracy. Â Finally, the poor girl coughed up her credit card to pay the tab, leaving a whopping 15% tip for the server. Â Turns out, it was her own b-day dinner. Â (I think Applebee's would have been right up their ally). Â The server remained TOTALLY calm and cool and polite and took the verbal abuse. Â
Well, I would rather support Plaza III than the chain steak places on the Plaza, and I believe the food is equally delicious. Â We will continue to be customers!
I'm a person that loves food and I find that me and my partner eat dinner out often.  We try to explore and try  new restaurants and we usually keep a new one reserved for a special event during the year.  Well it was birthday time and we had  a list of places that we wanted to check out.  During the conversation we discovered neither of us had ever eaten at Plaza III, never.  We are both natives with a few years away from the city here and there, but natives that had never eaten at a local restaurant with much history and longevity on its side.  We picked Plaza III.
It seems like there are two schools of steak dinner pricing. Â Terribly cheap or terribly expensive. Â P3 falls into the expensive side, which I find well worth the money if it means my ass doesn't have to sit in a seat at Apple B's. Â It is *old school* here at P3. Â Simple and direct menu in an environment that hasn't been updated for a couple of decades. Â
The star of the show, the steak, was delicious. Â Cooked perfectly. Â I actually think that I had a large filet cooked to the perfect medium temperature. Â Pink throughout without a drop of blood, fork tender and the pure taste of beef. Â Several of the sides were basic, yet done extremely well. Â The salads and the crudite were just ok. Â Yet, I loved that they had crudite! Â
The service was great. Â Our waitress was very helpful in explaining the menu and the style of food. Â She was sweet enough to bring out a tasting of the steak soup just for us to try since we had asked about it. Â The happy hour sounds really good and priced as a happy hour should be. Â We will be back sooner than later.
This is a local legend, and sadly, failing. Â The restaurant has that old world steak house feel, but is in serious need of renovation. Â Door knobs are falling off, it smells old, the plates, flatware and glassware are showing their age.
Steak is great, but having had the "crab bisque" on my last visit for happy hour, at $10 a bowl, I am mortified. Â It tasted canned, the crab was stingy, the soup was barely warm....how sad. Â
The 2 star rating is due to the pricing. Â Had I ordered this bisque from Panera, I would have had them nuke it, eaten it and would have never ordered it again-it was that bad. Â Not even a piece of bread served with it, and no one questioned why I did not eat more than a 3rd of the bowl. Â So.....the service is also not up to par.
The Plaza was packed, restaurants were as well. Â Plaza 111 was practically empty.
Save Plaza 111, an intervention is needed!
Pretty much the worst experience I have ever had at a high end steak house. Â
Could not get order right, sent back, only one steak was re-cooked. Â Three others (a long with sides) where put under heat lamp (I think). Â Not only did re-cooked steak come out wrong again, all of the other orders where cold. Â Not once did management come over to help the server (who was over-whelmed) with anything. Â I told the young lady who was out server I see this is not your fault. Â However, I will not pay for this. Â Management finally came by said, "sorry" in a very snooty way, and tossed a bill on table with discount I demanded as none of the food was ate. Â
This took place on Saturday, November 26, 2011. Â I give this date so an owner can possibly review the "management" in this "high-end" steakhouse. Â Just an awful experience.
Just ruined my wife's birthday.......................
The service was exceptional, and the feel of the dining room was peaceful, as would be expected from a high-end steakhouse. Â However, for a restaurant that is rated #3 on Tom Horan's Top Steakhouses in America, I found the cuts to be lacking the same prestige. Â
My party's experience showcased straightforward taste, with any seasoning to the meats being overpowered by the cooking processes used, in addition to uneven and inconsistent temperatures/rarity. Â Overall, the food was by no means bad, above average for sure. Â It was just forgettable -- which is less-than-expected for a place with such a glorious reputation.
Service: 25 / 30
Decor: 25 / 30
Food: 21 / 30
Wine List: Â 3/5; Â ~2-2.5x markup
I have eaten some really good steak in Phoenix, but there is something about midwesten beef that is just different. Â so to get the fix, while I was visiting KC, we went to Plaza III. Â It is old school--for those of you in Phoenix--it is like Durant's in ambiance and service--it is just the facts mam kind of menu--there is steak and lamb, salads, potatoes and old school veggies. Â I loved everything about the dinner, from the crudites to the KC strip that was done perfectly and melted in your mouth. Â Service was attentative and got great advice from the wine steward . Â My Plaza III meals are always a good memory.
Review Source:I'm glad to see the other reviews are awesome and hope that maybe my experience was an anomaly. Why?
9 years ago I spent a summer living in a hotel on The Plaza for work. Plaza III steakhouse became my favorite steakhouse in America. The filet there was just incredible and the service outstanding. I've been waiting for the day I could go back. Cue last Friday at lunch...
Which is why I am so sad.I even considered not reviewing the place. It's like an athlete idol of your admitting a decade later he used performance enhancing drugs.
We went for lunch as opposed to the standard dinner. I ordered a filet entree and my companion a steak sandwich. Overall, the steak sandwich was ok. The filet was ok. The bread to start was nice. Service was ok - my Mom who doesn't even drink tap water mentioned the server never re-filled our waters. Th fries may have been the highlight of the meal and I wasn't really impressed with them. Â
For the steal prices of lunch, I don't feel like I wasted my money but, neither of us were impressed. Or even really pleased.
I guess this is what it feels like to be let down.
PS: I just wavered and considered switching this to a 3. But I'm not going to. My companion asked for the half of her sandwich to be wrapped. It was brought in a small styrofoam dish. No bag. When we had to ask the hostess for a bag, a large brown paper bag was brought and we had to put it in ourselves. You really don't have bags for patrons who don't finish meals and you make them do it themselves? I don't feel bad for this review anymore.
We went to Plaza III for happy hour and stayed past for another drink. Â We had a really good experience. Â It was a Friday night and we didn't have a problem getting a seat at the bar at 5:30 pm. Â We ordered appetizers off their $1.95-$4.95 menu. Â What a great deal!! Â Some were better than others, but I enjoyed the crabcake slider and the beef tenderloin skewers. Â Many of the items on the menu looked tasty and very reasonable. Â We had a couple drinks and the wine during happy hour was really good and I believe $5 or $6 per glass. Â We were there a while and after happy hour we ordered their house salad! Â It was huge and a perfect salad in my opinion. Â
The bartender was very busy but we could tell he was good at what he does making alot of martini's and specialty drinks. Â He was always available when we needed something. Â We could tell the bar area is more laid back than the restaurant and based on our experience we're looking forward to going back for dinner. Â We will definitely be back for happy hour as well. Â Would highly recommend!
Just took my wife there for our anniversary and had a great experience. Â This is normally WAY out of our price range but we used a GROUPON and a Plaza Gift Card so that made it affordable.
We were seated at in a cozy booth where chilled veggies on crushed ice w/ homemade ranch tempted us to dig in. Â I ordered the THICK CUT prime rib (med rare) and it was cooked perfectly. Â It was simply the best cut of meat I had ever had in my life (including kobe beef).
Although everything is A-La-Carte, the side portions are made for TWO so it's not that bad. Â My wife ordered the scallops and shrimp over pasta and we had fresh asparagus (cooked perfect) and au-gratin potatos (marvelous) for our sides. Â My wife's prawns were a BIT over-cooked, thus knocking this from a 5 star to 4 star.
Our server, Marc, was extremely friendly, answered all of our questions, and was very attentive. Â He also did not treat us like we were "cheapskates" for using two forms of discounts (Groupon and Gift Card). Â For that, he passed the test and got a nice fat 27% gratuity.
As soon as we get another groupon or plaza gift card we'll def be back!
Let's get the obvious out of the way, this is an expensive restaurant, but most know that before they set food inside. Â
My experiences here have been good. Â The first time I went, I felt it was stuffy, the second time, a little better, this last time, it was great. Â Went using a Groupon and the place was packed. Â The server was a little cocky, but not rude by any means. Â I really enjoyed talking to the Wine Steward, Duane. Â He recommended a couple very good wines and the whole table enjoyed them.
I'll be back, it's a Kansas City staple. Â It's more about the experience too. Â Go to the basement and check out the wine cellar when you have a chance, it's awesome!
Is it pricey by KC standards? Yes. Is it a hang out for the city's affluent, white and middle aged? Yes. Did it have best damn porterhouse steak I've ever had? HELL YEAH!
You know its on when your waiter makes a "presentation" before you decide to order.
A friend and I had two steaks, two sides, oysters and six beers for about $170. It sounds pricey unless you consider this would have been a 300-400 meal in any New York steakhouse of that quality. I ate with a rich business friend who goes to the best steakhouses in New York and he testified that his strip steak was "on point" and possibly the best he ever had.
The decor is meh, but the service was outstanding. I felt like an old, rich, white man for 2 hours. Any service that can temporarily undo the legacy of Slavery and Jim Crow is pretty damn good.
In conclusion, this is a great place to eat flesh if you want to class it up for a night in KC.
Went here for our anniversary. Â We had a reservation, but still waited 30 minutes because they were behind with lots of parties.
Hostess was friendly as was the bartender. Â Our server was knowledge and took great care of us. Â We really loved the cozy, warm, Â atmosphere and decor.
My husband had the Porterhouse Steak. He said it was tender and flavorful, good but not exceptional. Â I had the grilled shrimp and scallops over garlic butter pasta. The seafood was wonderful. It was a little crisp from the grill, but moist and delicately prepared. Â The pasta, which I didn't intended on eating anyway, was really blah and bland.
We shared the garlic mashed potatoes which were very good and onion straws (but were not thin at all like "straws") which were crispy and flavorful. Â
This was a nice meal, but really too expensive for the quality in my opinion. It did not WOW my socks off or really even impress me that much.  Plus they were not willing to make any item adaptions because they were so busy. I asked for mushrooms sautéed in oil v. butter and the server basically said we weren't as important as their parties downstairs and the kitchen wouldn't do something like that.
In the end they gave us two free desserts because of our anniversary. Â The apple pie was awesome and the carrot cake was kinda dry and lacking spice. Â I did really enjoy the french press coffee; it was a nice way to finish the meal.
I don't know that'd we'd go back. It just wasn't all that impressive for the price. I am glad we tried it; it was an enjoyable experience.
The steak was quite good, but given how much it costs (in Kansas City, no less), I would have expected that the flavors of the steak be more mind-blowing. The service was attentive, crisp, and very friendly. However, the steak was under-seasoned and came out luke-warm. Â I must admit that it's been a few years since I've frequented the place so I can't be sure if the standards have gotten better or worse. Â
If Plaza III was New York City, it would be a very good steak at a reasonable/fair price. It would never come close to the greatness of the actual steakhouses (Peter Lugar's, Wolfgang's, Del Frisco's, etc), but it is better and more consistent than the other places at the same price (The Palm - west, Bar American, A.J. Maxwell's).
I do want to stop by and try this place again some time, if I'm ever in the area.
Above average steaks, wayyyy above average prices. Â 90% of the clientele are middle-aged, prematurely balding men wearing suits and talking loudly about the stock market or college football or the college stock market. Â This is apparently the place to take your business buddies, because the only way to prove you're successful in life is by agreeing to pay $7 for a side order of asparagus.
The Plaza III is an ideal place for native Missourians (like myself) to take out-of-town visitors and trick them into believing this state isn't primarily populated by pickup trucks and morbidly obese people wearing Looney Toon t-shirts.
Plaza III is good but personally I think it's way over priced for what it really is. The steaks are A-ok but I found them a bit bland, Sam's steakhouse in St. Louis is way better.
I ordered the T-bone steak, and my Fiance ordered the KC strip (I thought the strip was way better then the t-bone).
If you want anything else, it's a la carte, and I recommend the Cheddar potatoes.
Prepare to swipe that plastic, dinner for two with wine and a few bears & one a la carte, plus your two steaks runs around 150 or more.
Personal Observation: They need to update this place it's stuck in a 80's time warp, ceiling needs an upgrade. I'm just saying if your going to spend more then 60 dollars on dinner the place should at least be in an aesthetically pleasing Local.
Everyone told me this was the best steakhouse in KC. I read this review on Trip Advisor: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2FRestaurant_Review-g60745-d321586-Reviews-Plaza_III_The_Kansas_City_Steakhouse-Boston_Massachusetts.html&s=a9a172eae22084ef95dd24ece045d0f7a1be55600906a1046de3eb4edafe3c70" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.tripadvisor.c…</a>
but didn't believe them. I found this place to be super overrated. Service was so so. Meat was ok. Nothing great about Plaza III except for its location which is convenient. I think Hereford House was much better.
This is a place that's well located and rides on its reputation. Â Lucky for them, otherwise they'd probably be out of business.
I really expected more from a place who's claim to fame is the KC strip steak. Â If you're going to serve a city's namesake, shouldn't it at least be good. Â The steaks were just mediocre. Â I tried both mine and the boy's and neither of us were impressed with what we had. Â It was bland tasting and didn't have that rich, meaty, melt-in-your-mouth, this is why I killed a cow flavor a good steak should have. Â We couldn't understand what everyone was raving about. Â I even started to question my taste in steak till I hit up a Morton's with the boy months later and tasted what a delicious steak should taste like.
I'd rate the veggies but I don't remember them, and really, who goes to a steakhouse for veggies? Â It's like going to an Italian restaurant and ordering a hamburger. Â W. T. F. Â Anyway, service was ok... we went towards closing time so it seemed like they wanted to get out of there, though they were still fairly attentive; however, again, I've received better service at other steak houses.
We were on an expense account, so thankfully we didn't have to pay for this low quality stuff, but it did make me feel bad about spending money on something that's so not worth it (but not so bad I'd offer to pay for it myself ;-) ).
The steaks weren't anything special. Â Normally that would garner 3 stars but if you're going to charge this much, you'd better offer up the quality. Â 2 stars because it's not gross but if I'm going to shell out the big bucks, I'm going to pick from any of the fine steak establishments around the country that actually has some taste to it.
WE WILL NEVER GO BACK.
My boss raved about this place, so I went. Not a good experience.
This place is upscale and it has a nice ambience. That's where it ends.
The menu is pricy and has good reviews, so I figured we'd be enjoying ourselves. Wrong.
We waited a while for a seat. Then, we were ignored by our waiter quite a lot. He also got our order wrong.
I ordered the steak medium well and it came out medium rare. It also wasn't an amazing steak.
By the end of the meal I just was done with all of this and couldn't wait to get out of there.
After we left, my fiance wanted to go walk around and get some dessert. By then, I had taken the Plaza with me....TO THE BATHROOM. I was pretty sick the entire evening. I think she got stomach problems, too.
OVERRATED! For the price, I expect AMAZING food (or at least comparable to similar steak houses) and amazing service. I got neither. I am very disappointed. Our waiter was just clueless. If I wasn't breezing through on a business trip, I would have called it to the manager's attention.
The restaurant itself is very nice and I enjoyed the atmosphere. The wait staff brings the meat to your table for you to view before ordering which is always a nice touch. We were there on a slow Wednesday night, so everyone was very attentive.
The drinks were excellent and poured very strong.
I had the porterhouse and it was good. It wasn't as thick as I'd like but it was cooked perfectly. We went with the broccoli and the hashbrowns as a side and they were good.
I gave it three stars just because I didn't think the price justified the meat. I have no qualms spending $50 on a steak (especailly when my company is paying), but this place isn't a $50 steak place in my eyes and would rate this a 2nd tier steakhouse.
My ratings would be:
Tier 1's
Del Monico
Chicago Chop House
Shula's
Ditka's
Ruth Chris
Morton's
Capitol G
Tier 2
Plaza 3
Tier 3
Outbacks, etc
Plaza III, you are almost too good.. because I always eat entirely too much.
The steak is always perfectly cooked. Â My mom actually asked for a steak done between medium and medium rare. Â I believe she called it medium rare-ish... and they nailed it. Â I got mine medium rare, and it was perfect as well. Â The sides were brilliant as well, the creamed spinach was in a class on its own.
The food itself was excellent, but still the best part of the entire meal was the service from our waitress. Â She was friendly and jovial, but not too in your face. Â She was attentive and quick, but not peering over your shoulder. Â At the end of the meal, I ordered a key lime pie (which was ridiculously good). Â I was with my family friend, and I asked the waitress for a fork so that she could try it, and I insisted that she tried it. Â My family friend said that if she was going to have any at all, she just wanted a tiny, tiny amount. Â So... the waitress went away and brought the smallest fork they had. Â Cute. Â And clever. Â And definitely got her a better tip. Â I hope she keeps it up, because that was not only the best service I have ever had, but it made the dinner as a whole much more enjoyable.
The night started out on the bad side and I was thinking we were in for a wild ride when my mom ordered a bellini and the waiter said they didn't have them. Â "You don't have sparkling wine by the glass and peach schnapps?" I asked. Â No. Â Â Oh. Â Â Okay. Â Â Â Â Anything's possible, I guess.
After that things got a little better. Â The steak soup was just okay and the wine was reasonably priced. Â The Kansas City (New York) strip was good but not inspiring. Â The best part of the meal was my son's chicken strips and the chocolate and grand marnier souffles we had for dessert. Â
My family was all very impressed but they don't have as much experience with upscale steakhouses as I do. Â All in all, if I was going back to Kansas City, I would probably try something else.
Now this may get a bit uncomfortable for the faint of heart but I had the best steak of my life at Plaza III... and it was raw. Â Not rare, not seared, but cold and completely RAW. Â My friend Barrett brought me there for dinner and said I had to follow his lead. Â He instructed the waiter to bring out two fillets, two shot glasses filled with kosher salt, and two orders of drawn butter. Â The dishes came out and I just looked at this slab of raw midwest beef in front of me and gulped. Â I wouldn't try this anywhere other than a highly reputable steakhouse.
Barrett instructed me to slice off a piece of steak and dip it into the drawn butter. Â One dripping with the butter, he told me to sprinkle some salt on it and eat it. Â The texture was that of very good sushi, but it had that taste of beef. Â Your mind gets confused for a minute, but as you chew you realize how great the steak tastes and how nice the texture is. Â The butter and salt bring out such great flavor as well.
This is something for the true steak lover.
On the same biz trip as the City Tavern review, I visited Plaza III. Usually, I am not one for the dark, smoky steakhouses, but when in Rome...
We hit a random night on a Wednesday where there was a power outage in the area (due to a heat index of 100 degrees) and the restaurant was flooded with folks.
We opted to sit in the bar area with a very attentive waiter. We all ordered KC strip steak (you hav-ta). It's Morton's style where they show you the meats before (as well as the sides, which was kind of funny)...Anyway, I finished off my 12 oz KC strip, to my colleagues amazement, with a nice glass of vino...We had the chocolate souffle as a dessert which was well prepared.
Overall the service, food and environ were worthy of 4 stars.
I was on Business in KC and I have to say that the thought of going our for a Steak Dinner here, was more than exciting, it was mouth watering.
So before I left, I did a bunch of reasearch and from what I could say, Plaza III seemed to get the best overall review.
Needless to say, it was okay. The steak was good, but it was served luke warm. For a place that is supposedly one of the top steak houses in America, I can't honestly say it really deserves the reputation.
As for the service, it was decent, but my colleague had ordered a salad and the waiter just forgot to bring it. It's not like it was cazy busy or anything, it was just a lapse. Now, I'm not one to complain, but I do have expectations surrounding service when you go out for a nice meal. In my opion, the food is only one part of the "experience".
Needless to say, I'm sure there are other great steak houses in KC, but this place has nothing on Gibson's in Chicago or the Capital Grille in Boston. I'd hoped that by virtue of being in KC, that this place would be something special, but at the end of the day, it was just another run of the mill steak house.
A classic restaurant, quiet and classy atmosphere and excellent service. The steaks will surpass your expectations (and I'm not a steak person!) Â Extensive wine list.
Last dinner on 1/9/06:
Steak soup -Average
Filet mignon-Most, most excellent
white cheddar potatoes-Good
sauteed fresh mushrooms-Excellent
creamed spinach-Average
fresh asparagus-Average
Fresh berries and cream anglaise dessert-Most excellent
Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon-most excellent!
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