The Campground — Restaurant in Kansas City

This restaurant in a previous life was the Genesee Cafe, owned by a really mean anger challenged locally well-known restaurateur. It is now owned by a really mean, anger... (you get it) woman. The only discernable difference is that under his ownership the food was really good. My partner, a totally civilized Emily Post certified human made a reservation for the two of us at 5:30. The owner seated us at a two top from which we could view two young women seated at a small four top. There was another of those available which we requested - nicely. The owner said the two women were walk-ins - I will never make a reservation again, now that I know walk-ins are prioritized. By now the owner, hostess with the meanness was off getting us one menu which she slammed on the table. We decided to order a drink and an appetizer which was a crudite plate for a price that would feed Haiti, and we got a bunch of crudely (didn't know that was the reason for the name) chopped pedestrian veggies and some raspy, distasteful dip. The drinks were ok - well the pisco sour was, the Sangria was not 60's California caliber by a long stretch. We drank, ate a bit of the crudites and then got a check and settled, giving the young man waiter a 10$ tip on a 35$ check. Nice work if you can get it. The four top of course remained unoccupied as they always do. My civilized partner got the getaway car and headed across the street to our new dinner destination, a real restaurant that was delighted to see us. My partner had called and made a reservation as we sat huddled at our little table. I proceeded to tell the owner that she has perfectly maintained the mean streak karma willed to her by the prior owner. I pointed out that the 4 top was still sitting there lonely and that I didn't think the restaurant biz was her true calling. So as I walked across the street the young man waiter who had been treated like a waiter should be by us, my 10 spot still warm in his pocket, came running out informing me I was no longer welcome in the restaurant. He did not, shockingly, want to return the purloined 10. Do they really think I wanted another crack at their bad food, high priced, mean joint? I wish I could have said what Groucho would have or Truman Capote - you know the "I've been thrown out of way better..." but alas they would have done it better. I can only say - all the rest of you - do not go, do not go, or mention my name and...

Enjoyable environment with a large drink menu and some solid food offerings.

My significant other and I came here on a Sunday night in November while visiting from out of town. We had originally planned to get a full dinner, but after a heavy lunch we decided to go lighter on the food and grab a couple cocktails.

The establishment is in the midst of a revived warehouse district. The ambiance inside was dark and charming, with candles at each table and plants and outdoorsy art surrounding us. It wasn't super busy when we first arrived, but was quite packed by the end of the night.

We were seated at a table by the window. The service was OK - a bit slow and waiter was a bit curt, but not concerning or outright rude. We each had two cocktails throughout the night, and then split 2 appetizers and an entree.

For the cocktails, I had the Orange Negroni and the Desert Paloma, while my significant other went for the Old Fashioned and the Grief Motif. The Negroni and Old Fashioned were solid - as we expected and not especially extraordinary. I enjoyed my Desert Paloma - the tequila and mixes blended well together and were refreshing. The Grief Motif was interesting - I did not hate it, but the mix of ingredients was interesting and certainly didn't remind me of the perfect Fall/Winter drink that it was to be described.

The appetizers we went with were the Brussel Sprouts and the Apple/Kohlrabi. The Sprouts were especially Brussel-y but well prepped, and the Apple Dish was simple yet pleasant and enjoyable.

For the entree, we went with the Butternut Squash as neither of us were that hungry. While the Squash itself was good, the Kale was overwhelming for me and made the dish taste more 'earthy' than I was looking for. My significant other liked this more than I did, however.

Overall this was a solid experience, even if I felt some of the food and drink offerings didn't always consistently excel. We left with a T-Shirt as well, so certainly are fans of our time here. I would definitely like to come back during warmer weather to sit outside and get the more true 'campground' experience, and also try the rave-reviewed burger when my appetite...

To start, my fiancé and I reserved a “Private Dining Cabin” for dinner and were charged $40 to do so. Being charged for reservations at in demand or private areas isn’t unheard of, especially now, but this rate felt on the high end, and unlike other locations this amount wasn’t credited to you bill. Worse was what we got was not a “private dining cabin” but instead an aluminum shed, and not close to “private” as it was in the parking lot near other diners and right next to three other “cabins”. I suppose we could’ve closed the sliding aluminum doors but since there were no window and our only lighting source were some dollar store led Christmas lights I didn’t think we’d be able to see our drinks, our food, each other, or our server. Also eating dinner in a garden shed isn’t fun, it isn’t romantic, and it certainly isn’t worth $40...

But that’s just the start. First, what works. The cocktail I had was good, my fiancé’s was also good. Our server was great, I think she knew we were unimpressed with the “ambiance” and (spoilers) the food, but was on top of what we needed and checked in on us. Beyond that everything else here doesn’t work. They price their “snacks” and “meals” as higher end, but don’t serve it. We started with the “crudités” board, which was $12 and was basically a terrible veggie platter and bland grainy hummus. It was also served on an incredibly small plate (another spoiler, everything is) so things kept falling off onto a sticky table... Bad start. Our sandwiches were mediocre and served without a side, I thought that hadn’t occurred to me til it showed up without fries, but it’s criminal to sell a $12 “smash burger” without a side.

This place is close to a cool idea, but it really feels like ownership took a cool idea and upcharged without putting any real effort into anything. If you’re looking to pay $100 for a disappointment there are other places you can go.

But if anyone associated with this place reads this... Seriously, what’s up with those plates?!? The tiny plate isn’t tricking anyone into thinking they’re getting their money’s worth. Just get some actually plate...