Rhythm Lounge

the place is not open anymore

Yeah, well, I could not find it.  Parked and walked up and down the street. Could not find it. So . . .  since it seems to be the best kept secret. I'll let it stay that way.  Not from KC, and had no prob finding Jardines, Phoenix, 18th and Vine,  Oh well.

Puts Kansas City on the map!  If you are accustomed to really big cities, like New York City and Paris, you will appreciate this club/restaurant/bar.  It is located where Trio previously was.  There is a multilevel garage directly behind it, with the entrance immediately to the north of the entrance.  The decor is upscale, the live entertainment is excellent (currently on Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 8 pm), the small plates provide good food (although a surprising number of the menu entries were not available), and the full bar is what you would expect in a fine lounge.  On Wednesday evenings the wine is half price.  People in the know, drive to the upper levels of the garage and back into a space, since it is a tight garage and can be hard to exit otherwise.

But there are puzzles.  It was written up in Ink on October 7, 2009.  The article was titled "This sexy jazz spot keeps a low profile."  The article mentioned that there is no sign on the front, no web site, and no advertising for this jazz lounge.  It is located in the historic Old Hyde Park area, which has not so far done well at making its expected comeback, other than the Uptown Theater across the street a few blocks away.  There still is no sign on the front of the Rhythm Lounge, no web site, and no advertising, so still "keeps a low profile."  But there is a Facebook page with a very large number of Facebook fans at:
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FKansas-City-MO%2FThe-Rhythm-Lounge%2F108378886964&s=49948e279d4f91ed72775b39bb979444293ef1a0d89eeb1b7821754e126be1e6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.facebook.com/…</a>

When I went there, the owner walked over to me and asked whether I lived in the neighborhood and had walked there.  No, I do not live in that neighborhood.  I can see why, with no sign in front, he might have thought I lived in the neighborhood.  Perhaps many of the customers do.  But I am sure many do not.  There are far too many Facebook fans to be from that neighborhood.

The customers are very different from those who previously had patronized Trio in that location.  Those customers were from the burbs and mostly had driven long distances to get there.  Now they do not have to drive so far, since Trio has moved to the Plaza.  In contrast, the customers in Rhythm Lounge are mostly upscale African Americans and interracial couples.  Did I feel out of place there, being one of the very few white people in the Lounge, other than the servers?  Not a bit.  I loved it there.  I'll be back. If you have been avoiding the Rhythm Lounge, under the assumption that it is a ghetto bar, you've got it figured all wrong.  This is an elegant upscale club.

Oddly the Yelp map for this lounge is all wrong.  The club is in Midtown on Broadway near 35th St.  Ignore the Yelp map.  There is an entrance from the garage directly into the lounge, so in bad weather you need not even walk outdoors.  If you arrive after the entertainment starts at 8 pm on Friday or Saturday, seating may be limited.  I did notice many reserved signs on the best tables.  But there were a few other tables available and a few seats still available at the bar.

Now I know that Kansas City has made the big time.  It's no longer necessary to drive to the historic Jazz District to hear live jazz in an elegant environment among sophisticated people.   If you have occasion to be in the Hyde Park neighborhood, are accustomed only to small towns, and have bad taste, go across the street a few blocks away to Chubby's.  You'll feel right at home.  If you have good taste, go to the Rhythm Lounge.