The Stilwell — Restaurant in Kansas City

Last year, I gave this restaurant 4 stars, but we visited again recently, and it has slipped to 2.5 stars, which I rounded up to 3 because Google doesn't allow 1/2 stars. The biscuits were dry, exceedingly dry, so dry that when we attempted to butter them, they crumbled. The Caesar Salad and Wedge Salad were both good and surprisingly large portions. I ordered the Mushroom Risotto: a mistake. It was runny, mushy, and lacked any seasoning, so lacking in fact that I asked about it, and I was told it should be seasoned perfectly. Clearly, it is my tastebuds that were in error, not the kitchen. The Farrar Family Farms Fried Chicken seems to have been fried in old oil. It tasted somewhat burnt and of oil that had been used one too many times. Though the portion was huge, at least two pieces were inedible due to the near-burning. The Lamb Chop was also underseasoned, and the heirloom beans were mushy. The Creekstone Farms Striploin and the Pea Shoot Fettuccini were both much better than the other entrees, and saved the review from being less than 2 stars, as did the cocktails. It is unfortunate to see a restaurant that had promise to rise higher slip backwards.

This could have been a 5-star rating. And I am disappointed to have to give it only four. The bar is stunning, and the cocktails are hands down among some of the better that I have had in Kansas City. Cocktails and the bar definitely get 5 stars. Staff definitely gets 5. They knew the menu. They inquired about likes, dislikes, and various tastes of the table. They made spot on recommendations. They made dividing the check incredibly easy for a very large party. The starters are sharable, and they were the highlight of the evening's food. If you order the goat cheese, definitely share it with the entire table. It is ridiculously rich, and after a couple of bites, most people could not have more. The flavor definitely stays with you. And it is delicious. The crab cakes were also delicious. They're more like pancakes than traditional crab cakes, but that did not in any way impact the incredible flavor. The biscuits are another must have. MUST HAVE.. Caesar Salad was very good, but nothing really caused it to rise above most other Caesars that I have had. The Charcuterie was a little disappointing. It bordered on the generic. But up to that point, between the cocktails, the staff, and the food consumed, the restaurant was heading toward a 5-star rating. Then came the entrees. And this is when the rating dropped. The Fried Chicken, which so many have boasted about, was dry. Very dry. The Halibut was far too expensive for the dish you receive. I lived for more than a decade in California and am accustomed to overly priced entrees that come in a size more proportionate for a toddler, but neither of my two pieces of halibut was as big as my thumb. The menu says it comes with quinoa, but I'm not sure they remembered to put that on my plate. And the grape aigre doux left too tart a flavor that overwhelmed the halibut. Of the dozen people at our table, only the person who ordered the Short Rib felt the entree came up to the level of the appetizers. The desserts were another hit, with the chocolate cake scoring incredibly high among our table. The peanut butter and chocolate ice cream scored less well, and the apple pie scored right in the middle. The views are wonderful, the atmosphere incredible, and the cocktails, staff, and appetizers will bring me back to this restaurant. But I don't think I will give the entrees another try. Too...

I’ve been to Lowe’s hotel previously and the bar has fantastic drinks so I was excited to see what the restaurant was like, boy was I sorely disappointed. All staff was incredible, polite and very knowledgeable notably Nate our waiter that evening. The appetizers we ordered were okay- charcuterie board and the whipped goat cheese was fantastic! Unfortunately our evening took a turn for the worst. Our table ordered the mushroom risotto, 2x farm table fried chickens and shrimp and grits. When we received our food I noted immediately how lacking the mac and cheese was. I took a bite of the Mac and cheese and it was stone cold- I actually had to ask if this was Mac and cheese or a pasta salad. The other individual at our table also had cold Mac and cheese. We sent back the food Mac and cheese and they “re heated it for us” We cut into our fried chicken and noted there were multiple pieces of very raw fried chicken, the waiter was very apologetic and told us he would get this resolved. To our surprise the chef just took the pieces of fried chicken we sent back refried them and sent them back to our table…. Absolutely unacceptable. Every item on the fried chicken plates (2x) had to be sent back due to temperature problems and/or being raw. The mushroom risotto was bland and overall subpar. The shrimp and grits was nothing to talk about. Our amazing waiter offered us a free dessert as we were celebrating a birthday - a cookie dessert was amazing and the tequila espresso martini was to die for! when we received our bill we were shocked that they had taken off 12$ that was it…. They said the cookie dessert was free initially for one of the guests birthday but then said no it was a courtesy bc we sent back food. We sent back 2 full meals worth of food bc the food it’s self was inedible. The manager didn’t even come talk to us or apologize. The chef was visibly upset when we sent back the fried chicken (open kitchen concept) and told the waiter to tell us it’s fresh chicken and that they bleed more…. That fine but I don’t want blood seeping out of my chicken. After receiving the bill I felt the need to talk to the manager who was obviously disinterested in taking to me or hearing my concerns. She felt that there was nothing more she could do “and would tell her supervisor our concerns” overall I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting good food. The waiters are...

Went to the Stilwell for my husband's 52nd birthday last night (2/24/23). Service and hosts/hostesses were incredible...very attentive and sat us on time for our reservation. They even accommodated an additional person last minute. We were excited to try the food after learning it was a seasonal menu with lots of local ingredients. Appetizers were delicious (oysters, whipped goat cheese with freshly warmed Ibis bakery bread and a charcuterie board). Main courses, however, were extremely disappointing. The striploin was ordered by my brother in law medium rare and came to the table already cut up and well done. He sent it back and again it came back well done again, already cut up and tasteless. The fried chicken was crispy on the outside and was very chewy. Once he got to the inside near the bone, it was RAW / PINK. My husband was so nervous this may result in salmonella that he approached the kitchen staff (open kitchen concept) and they hung their heads in acknowledgement of this serious offense and mistake. The mac & cheese the fried chicken came with was so dry you couldn't eat it and was hard to separate. The manager quickly addressed the issues and removed the fried chicken from our bill. But after paying over $470 for our party of 5 (and yes we tipped the server well because none of this was her fault), we won't be returning. For such a high priced dinner, this was unacceptable. I'd be too nervous to order anything again for fear we could get...