Farina — Restaurant in Kansas City

Let me start off by saying that I review a LOT of resturants all over the country. I can count on one hand the reaturants that I have given 5 stars to. I'm not a fan of how Google does not allow half stars as I think nothing is perfect. I would have given Farina 4.75 stars and I will tell you why that is.

First thing you should know is this restaurant is run by Michael Smith one of very few reaturant owners that hold a James Beard award. The reaturant is relatively new and you should expect for some time to come that reservations are 100% necessary. My wife and I went with another couple on a Friday night and needed reservations 2 weeks in advance to get a 7pm reservation. Friday and Saturday the reaturant offers valet and trust me that is worth it downtown in the evening on a weekend. The building is hard to spot as the name is smaller on a sign and Oster Bar is larger on the upper portion of the establishment. When you first walk in your greeted with a very large area to stand out of the weather while you wait to be seated. The warm glow of amber light projects out around a large mural on the wall. The Oster Bar is hard to miss as when you walk in it is one of the largest things in the resturant. After you are seated the first thing you will likely notice is it's extremely loud. You will need to speak up to be heard even setting arms distance. That might be my largest concern with the resturant. They need to address this asap to help gain even more notoriety.

Several wait staff greet you within minutes of setting down. They explain the wine and drink menus. Overall through the entire night in fact you will be greeted by several staff doing many of the same things for each table.

Take the time to ask about the menu because if you don't understand traditional Italian dinning it won't be clear. Michael Smith has done a great job separating the menu into small plates (appetizers), traditional pasta plates that are small enough to have several of them for the table, you then have first course and main course meals. Our table got one or two of things off each menu.

The food was as close to perfection as it possibly could have been. We had everything from steak, to pork roast, to pastas and saffron rice. The signature pork roast that Michael offers is one of the best meals I have eaten in my entire life. Sadly some of the "traditional" Italian dishes were just ok. Everything and I mean everything else is life changing.

We spent a total of three and a half hours at the reaturant and almost lost track of time.

You will regret it if you don't take the time to...

We went to Farina for our Valentines Day dinner. I was really looking forward to going since I used to frequent the Michael Smith resteraunt and had loved it. We arrived about 5 minutes before our reservation time and were asked to wait in the lobby. There wasn't an option to get a drink while waiting. I was dissapointed when we were seated at a table 2 feet from another couple. Most of the seating are large couches with three small tables so we ended up feeling as if we couldn't have a conversation without the couple next to is being very intimately involved in it. Also since we were at the end there wasn't a lot of leg room. We were seated diagonal from each other instead of across from each other and it was a bit uncomfortable. The resteraunt is beautiful but incredibly loud. Our waitress had to talk fairly loudly so we could hear her. It left me missing the intimacy of the previous resteraunt where tables were separate and you felt like you could have a quiet private conversation. I also loved that I got to meet the chef more than once at the previous resteraunt. He would check on tables and make you feel incredibly welcome. It just isn't the same feel. The food was good and really affordable. I liked the options for the pasta. We started with duck meatballs which were wonderful. They had layers of flavor and the sauce was tasty. I had the special which was braised beef gnocchi. I unfairly compared it in my head to the braised rabbit gnocchi dish they used to make. While it was good and the portion was generous it fell a little short from what I was expecting in the flavor department. We finished with dessert and I ordered the chocolate tart. It was incredible. The tart tasted like a waffle cone and went well with the ice cream. We left incredibly full and had a nice evening. I would go again but most likely for a regular date night dinner and not a...

Chef Michael Smith’s Farina is quite a treat!! We met some friends here for dinner on a Tuesday, two days after my birthday. Chef Smith is a James Beard award winner for Best Chef Midwest in 1999.

The entrance is nondescript. Entry into the space is cool. A great hostess stand and two sides of the restaurant, plus a private dining room await.

The ladies started off with 2 different salads and each enjoyed them. My wife had the Farina Italian Salad and she raved about it.

I ordered the Ossetra Caviar for the table. We all enjoyed it. Next were the duck meatballs, which all four of us loved. That was a special dish!

I had the potato gnocchi with braised rabbit for my main. My wife had the giant prawns and risotto. I loved my gnocchi! My wife said her prawns were a little tough and overcooked. I had a bit and agreed. She liked the risotto though.

Our friends had the Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe and Bucatini Carbonara. They were truly magical dishes!!

For dessert we had the peanut butter chocolate cake and the lemon meringue pie. Both were super.

This is a nice restaurant and it’s fun. Super atmosphere. It’s pretty loud at high time. We had reservations at 6:15 and a I found myself wishing I had earplugs for the next hour or 90 minutes. Around 8 pm it got quieter as folk started filing out after dinner. I was impressed that they seated a table for two at 8:30 PM when they close at nine. That was very nice.

Our server was a little snotty and may not have wanted to be there that night, but she seemed to be the exception.

I’ve eaten it at a half dozen Italian restaurants in Kansas City so far and this one is the best, but not the best I’ve had. I look forward to trying a half a dozen more and then returning to Farina,...