The Wise Guy — Restaurant in Kansas City

It was a Thursday night and we kind of stumbled in to The Wise Guy. We had made plans to dine at another place in the area. However, they were closed with a plumbing issue.

So I looked at my bookmarks and found this place a mile or two away. I remember seeing it from the street car and wondering about it.

We walked in after 8 PM and approached the hostess stand right inside the front door. I love the ambience here! Dark, classic, retro, a little bit swanky, but not pretentious. The hostess asked if we had a reservation. We did not. No matter. We were seated within seconds in the back right by the kitchen. I personally love that.

They have a mix of high top tables, seats at the generous and cool bar and low top tables.

Our server, Taylor, who is excellent, greeted us right away with cold water to drink. We had had a heck of a day, including having to call an audible for dinner so we each ordered a martini. Totally out of character, but it felt right in the moment. I had an extra dirty vodka martini. They make theirs with Tito’s by default. It was spectacular, including the Gorgonzola stuffed olives. I only had one because I was driving. Three or four would’ve gone down very easily. It was one of the better martinis I’ve had in my life. My wife had the Amalfi Coast martini and she loved it. She went to the Amalfi coast a couple of months ago, and it was a nice memory for her.

Taylor recommended the housemaid mozzarella sticks that The Wise Guy makes in house and does not pour into a fryer from a frozen bag. I have not had a better mozzarella stick. Score another point for Taylor!

My wife was not very hungry, but after eyeing the table for six next to us and all of the various options, we wanted to try some pasta. I opted for the spaghetti and meatballs. It was outstanding! The meatballs were cut into halves or quarters, which I actually appreciate because they weren’t so damn hot. They were very flavorful and the spaghetti was coated with delicious sauce that had a little bit of zing to it. I don’t usually order spaghetti and meatballs, but the menu isn’t enormous, which I can appreciate.

This is a restaurant that does not have a super extensive menu, but the things that are on it are all high-quality and well done. Personally, I prefer that to a vast menu of mediocre food.

The pizza that was coming out looked incredible. Being seated right next to the kitchen entrance, we were able to see everything coming in and out. It was very impressive.

We are both excited to try other items next time. We want to thank Taylor for taking such good care of us. We will most certainly ask for her...

Love for my fellow human compels me to share a review. My selfish side would rather not, lest I encounter difficulty getting a table in the near future when I return.

Ok, the bad first. Got nothing for you. Moving along...

I learned about this neat little spot from a charming Rock Hill employee and (enthusiastic brand ambassador) during an event there in April. He suggested I try the owners' new Italian spot. Ok, pause. This is a good place to share that I was raised in North Jersey and moved to Mid-Missouri from New York. Truly no disrespect intended, but I've struggled a bit to find great food.

After a two-hour drive and arriving at the restaurant later than we hoped, the host was super-sweet and let us know the kitchen would be closing shortly. The server came over quickly and didn't pressure us. She didn't miss a beat when I asked if the lemonade was fresh or the Minute-Maid variety and assured me she made it herself. Generally, servers are more inclined to wonder what other kind of lemonade might exist in the world. The lemonade was incredible; the kind you get in a chef-owned bistro in NYC. The pepperoni pizza was massive and unbelievably good! Thin, crispy crust with the perfect ratio of sauce to cheese, slices of excellent quality pepperoni with a balanced blend of spices to make it savory, in just the right amount to avoid overpowering the other ingredients. All that flavor with the chewy texture we love but none of the dripping grease to irritate the soul. I shouldn't know so much about the pizza because I ordered Rigatoni a la Vodka with Sausage, but caring is sharing and whatnot. The pasta though... a hefty blate filled with spicy tubes of goodness, coated with (not too) rich vodka sauce and a generous serving of Italian sausage.

I don't generally take leftovers with me. It seemed almost sinful not to take last night's meal. Fortunately for me, I'm moving to KC and this...

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday. We had not tried it before. We don't like leaving our little bubble too often so this was a big deal for us. The menu looked delightful and Ive decided to be more adventurous ( 🤣) so off we went. We are not "city people" so we, straight up, got lost looking for the place and when we found it, we were shaking our heads because we felt stupid. Walking in the first thing you see is the beautiful bar with the type of lighting that I personally enjoy. Not so bright you can see your companions fine lines and wrinkles but not so dark you have pull out the cell flashlight to read. We were sat at the bar by the host. Amber was our bartender/server. She was so friendly and sweet and knew the menu like the back of her had. She gave us complimentary shots for my birthday, however, I am sober so my boyfriend got them both. I greatly appreciate the gesture, though. We ordered the Caprese with the burrata and tomatoes etc.. it was delicious! I just wish it would have come with some crusty bread. I had the chicken parm with spicy rigatoni. Chicken was flavorful and juicy, pasta perfectly cooked and I could not finish it all because it is a good sized portion. My partner had the Shrimp Scampi and had it inhaled before I could ask him about it. I assume that was also delicious. Limoncello cake to round it out, because, what's a freaking birthday without cake?! It was tart and moist (haha) with crushed pistachios. LOVED IT!! Amber makes a mean Old Fashioned, is what my partner informed me as that is what he ordered. I had the Blood Orange and Pistachio Italian creme soda. Perfect mix of sweet, sour and creamy!! Liquid candy is what I called it. Over all I recommend giving this place a go. If not for anything else, go to see Amber. She's amazing and made the experience wonderful! Thank you,...