avenuesbistrokc

Bring 2011 to the close in good taste. Avenues Bistro is hosting a delicious New Year’s Eve dinner that is toast worthy…

• (5) Course Dinner — $69pp
• (4) Course Dinner — $59pp

Reservations Highly Recommended:

Brookside 816-333-5700
Leawood 913-381-5678

Avenues Bistro New Year’s Eve Menu

First Course: Amuse (With Five-Course Dinner Only)

Avenues Crab Cake
Or
Prime KC Strip, Melon, Soy Reduction

Click Here to View the Entire Menu

Written By: Avenues Bistro Wine Director Timothy O’Neal

At a crowded St. Louis Selkirk’s auction in the mid 1980’s, a massive wall of numbered paintings was bringing in the bucks. A Chinese man with a Dynasty of money was on a buying binge. One after another went his direction. But suddenly, when “The Bird,” circa 1960, by Edward Eugene Boccia, had its turn to be smashed by the auction gavel, the Chinese man put his paddle down. My Mother, Gretchen Ackerman O’Neal, a former art student of the now 90 year old painter and poet, won that piece and gave that abstract flapper to my father as a gift. After the auction, Gretchen asked the Chinese man, “Why didn’t you bid on that painting?” He revealed, “Because you had your eyes on it the entire afternoon, and it’s likely the only reason you came… I wanted you to have it.”

As a Wine Director, it would be many beer-pong college evenings and a few years further before my interest in wine would begin to sniff itself into development. A fortunate upbringing also exposed me to some incredible art to which an appreciation is finally ‘wine-bug’ biting at 38 years of age. Last year, I searched out Edward Boccia’s work hoping a misspelled ‘Bokkia’ on Ebay might get me one on the cheap. Instead, a news article noting that a half century retrospective show would soon be taking place in St. Louis came into view. Way cool!

My bequeathed 1991 Mercury “No-Paz” got me to the show. Armed with a checkbook full of copper, the plan was still to purchase. The work was incredible, disturbing yet prolific, and fetching enough gold coin to force me to pass, or sign a rubber bouncer. Leaving with only images in my head and the pleasure of shaking Mr. Boccia’s purpley, yet steady hand, a stop in Columbia Missouri to share the experience with my parents was in order. Deep into dinner, Dad said, “There’s a Boccia in the basement, you are welcome to it for five hundred bucks in wine,” he said while smiling. Bartering still rules! A quick peer into our shared cellar made for an easy transaction; just slide a few bottles of the good juice on over a rack or two, and the Boccia Bird was now cleared for a wall-mounted takeoff.

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Every year, Kansas City Magazine honors the city’s most praise-worthy people, places and things with their “City’s Best” list. This list is based on online votes from the public and shows what the locals are loving right now.  The KC Magazine City’s Best list was released in this September’s issue. With 240, 896 votes cast, this list truly reflects what Kansas Citians love.

The list truly does cover a wide array of categories, diving deep into the best of the best in the city. The topics that the public voted on varied from Best Philanthropic Organization (Harvester’s) to Best Neighborhood (The West Bottoms) to Best Meteroligist (Gary Lezak) to Best Wine Merchant (Cellar Rat) to Best Hotel (Intercontinental on the Plaza) to Best Bar (The Well) , and finally…to the category we love most: Best KC Dining.

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Duck A L'Orange: A Round 2 Contender

On Monday, August 15th Avenues Bistro will showcase its first ever Chef Challenge dinner. In this new monthly dinner series, two chefs will prepare their best three course meal. Guests will taste each course and vote on their favorite, enjoying a gourmet six-course meal. For the first Chef Challenge, Avenues Bistro Owner Joe Birch will take on his premiere Avenues team of Chefs. We cannot reveal which chef will be preparing which dish, however, we can share with you a sneak peek of Monday’s menu. See if you can guess who is preparing which course, and check back next week to see the results!

Click to see the full menu